UNM researcher gives Los Alamos Environmental Sustainability Board a primer on planetary health

Heidi Rogers, an associate professor and registered nurse at the University of New Mexico, told the Los Alamos County Environmental Sustainability Board on July 17 that planetary health is a framework linking global ecological limits to human health and local decision-making.

Rogers said the planetary health field treats climate change as one of several crossed “planetary boundaries” that together affect human well-being. She cited research from the Stockholm Resilience Centre and described a steady widening between historical health gains and growing ecological pressures. “When we really, really hold that in…we are part of nature,” Rogers said, arguing that public-health professionals should incorporate ecological determinants into planning and education.

The presentation outlined how planetary health connects drivers such as consumption, land use and technology to health outcomes including cardiovascular disease, mental-health impacts and emerging concerns about microplastics. Rogers noted recent University of New Mexico research beginning to examine microplastics’ effects on kidneys and described an international Planetary Health Alliance that is building education toolkits and a roadmap for local and global action. “We can use this framework to think about where the work needs to actually happen,” she said.

Board members asked how the international research and education materials translate to local policy and practice. Rebecca Haley Williams asked what outreach and regional participation look like; Rogers recommended joining the Planetary Health Alliance, following regional hubs and using the alliance’s “road map” and education framework as locally adaptable resources. Herman Gepard Kleinrath asked about curriculum and community involvement; Rogers said the alliance’s materials are crowd‑sourced and noted she is helping develop an education curriculum component.

Board chair Shannon Blair and members discussed practical local follow-ups mentioned by Rogers: adding climate and ecological vulnerabilities to local emergency planning, improving disaster preparedness in health services, and using county‑level outreach to translate global frameworks into specific community practices. Rogers suggested partnerships with UNM programs such as a new center on resilience for dry lands and offered to return to address technical questions or bring researchers if the board wanted deeper analysis.

The board did not take formal action on the presentation but discussed using Rogers’s materials to inform future resilience, health and education work in Los Alamos.