Resilience as a Major Asset for Planetary Health: Taking an Integrative Occupational Approach Towards Climate Resilience

Planetary health is fundamental to the health of all beings on this earth. Climate change has direct implications on biopsychosocial aspects of humans’ health. This contribution introduces concepts of resilience relevant to promoting health of individuals, communities, and populations within a planetary health context. Additionally, it encourages reflection and action to strengthen resilience in the face of climate change-related implications and consequences, with recommendations for health professionals and beyond. Based on a consecutive literature review, inspired by Ziglio et al.’s work on resilience capacities, we are focusing on the development of the term resilience within the last decade, and are suggesting a nexus between resilience, engagement in meaningful, responsive, and anticipatory activities, and (planetary) health. An integrative interdisciplinary, occupation-based approach was taken to elaborate reciprocal transactions between resilience-related aspects, especially sense of belonging, self-efficacy, and human agency, as relevant on micro, meso, and macro-level. Conscious decisions in relatedness to planetary health, affecting occupational patterns and routines, may improve resilience on an individual, community, and system level. Attempts to promote resilience in the sense of wellbeing and health for all—as part of individual, community, population, global, and planetary health—are as well dependent on macro-level developments and players. Sense of place and belonging, ethical and strategical reasoning are pivot for decision makers in any context; this matter of fact emphasises the need for responsiveness, empathy, and wisdom for everybody and encouragement for meaningful doing in all levels and contexts.