2014 was the hottest year since records began in 1880 … these latest findings do “not bode well for a civilisation that is continuing to add greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.” … The history of civilisations … tells us that what often seems secure in our lives can collapse and disappear surprisingly easily… there is an abundance of evidence chronicling the precarity of human civilisations…. The seeds of our vulnerability lie within ourselves, not the disturbed natural systems around us. Do we have the right governance, institutions, and decision-making processes to address the predicaments we face? There is reasonable evidence to suggest we might not. If we accept that our civilisations are fragile and if we agree that the principal threats to our species are deficiencies in human political, economic, social, and knowledge systems, surely the conclusion is that we must redefine health. Health is not only the health of individuals and populations. It is also the health of our civilisations – what we might call planetary health.
For the full Comment see www.thelancet.com Vol 385 January 24,2015, p 314