Regenerative economics for planetary health: A scoping review SPECIAL ISSUE: PLANETARY HEALTH
Geordan Shannon1,2,3, Rita Issa1,2,6, Chloe Wood2,3, Ilan Kelman1,4,5 1
Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom; 2United Health Futures, Geneva, Suisse; 3Stema, London, United Kingdom; 4Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction, University College London, London, UK; 5University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway; 6School of International Development, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom Corresponding author: G. Shannon (geordan.shannon.13@ucl.ac.uk) ABSTRACT Introduction: The relationship between humans and our planet is conditioned by an economic system that undermines rather than supports health. There has been an emerging focus on the relationship between economic structures and planetary health, but alternative economic approaches to support health for people and the planet require further development. Regenerative economics offers a compelling approach to transform humankind’s relationships with each other and their environment. Regenerative economics fosters grounded, pragmatic solutions to wider human and ecological crises that moves beyond a sustainability discourse towards one of regeneration. While there are, notionally, large areas of overlap between regenerative economics and planetary health, to date these have not been systematically articulated. Methods: A scoping review was performed to examine the background, principles, and applications of regenerative economics, and their implications for planetary health. Five databases (SCOPUS, Ovid Medline, Web of Science, Geobase, IEEE Xplore) were searched for peer-reviewed literature using key terms relating to regenerative economics and planetary health. Findings were reported using thematic synthesis. Results: The review identified a total of 121 articles and included 30 papers in the final review, from economics, industrial design, business, tourism, education, urban design and architecture, energy, technology, and food and agriculture. The principles of regenerative economics focused on people, place, planet, position, peace, plurality, and progress. Putting these principles into action requires identifying and valuing different forms of capital, taking a dynamic systems approach, applying regenerative design, developing a true circular economy, good governance, and transdisciplinary education and advocacy. Conclusions: While the principles of regenerative economics and planetary health are well aligned, the tools and actions of each field differ substantially. Planetary health can learn from regenerative economics’ grounding in natural design principles, systems-based approaches, actions at the right scale and cadence, respect for diversity, community and place, and mindset that moves beyond sustainability towards a regenerative future. KEYWORDS Heterodox Economics, Planetary Health, Regenerative Economics, Wellbeing Economy INTRODUCTION The prevailing global economic system undermines rather than supports planetary health (Gill & Benatar, 2020; Horton et al., 2014; Mair, 2020). The economy can be thought of as a system “the system that a society uses to take in resources and produce and IHTP, 2(3), SI: 81-105, 2022
distribute goods and services” (Mair, 2020), which is, in turn, embedded in and shaped by wider social and ecological systems (Raworth, 2017). Economic systems mediate humanity’s impact: on people and the planet. Globally, our economy, underpinned by 81
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