Nature Appropriation and Associations with Population Health in Canada’s Largest Cities
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15507866 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Daniel Rainham (0000-0002-3932-2942, Dalhousie University, corresponding author), Rory Cantwell (McGill University), Timothy Jason (Dalhousie University) |
| Year | 2013 |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 1268-1283 |
| Publication date | 2013-03-26 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601 |
| Publisher | Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3390/ijerph10041268 |
| PMID | 23531492 |
| PMCID | PMC3709316 |
| OpenAlex | W2052814656 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 24 |
Earth is a finite system with a limited supply of resources. As the human population grows, so does the appropriation of Earth's natural capital, thereby exacerbating environmental concerns such as biodiversity loss, increased pollution, deforestation and global warming. Such concerns will negatively impact human health although it is widely believed that improving socio-economic circumstances will help to ameliorate environmental impacts and improve health outcomes. However, this belief does not explicitly acknowledge the fact that improvements in socio-economic position are reliant on increased inputs from nature. Gains in population health, particularly through economic means, are disconnected from the appropriation of nature to create wealth so that health gains become unsustainable. The current study investigated the sustainability of human population health in Canada with regard to resource consumption or "ecological footprints" (i.e., the resources required to sustain a given population). Ecological footprints of the 20 largest Canadian cities, along with several important determinants of health such as income and education, were statistically compared with corresponding indicators of human population health outcomes. A significant positive relationship was found between ecological footprints and life expectancy, as well as a significant negative relationship between ecological footprints and the prevalence of high blood pressure. Results suggest that increased appropriation of nature is linked to improved health outcomes. To prevent environmental degradation from excessive appropriation of natural resources will require the development of health promotion strategies that are de-coupled from ever-increasing and unsustainable resource use. Efforts to promote population health should focus on health benefits achieved from a lifestyle based on significantly reduced consumption of natural resources
Appropriation · Biology · Business · Deforestation (computer science · Development economics · Economic growth · Economics · Environmental degradation · Environmental health · Environmental resource management · Geography · Health care · Life expectancy · Natural resource · Natural resource economics · Population · Population health · Social determinants of health · Sustainability · Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental Impact · Climate Change and Health Impacts · Environmental Education and Sustainability · Medicine · Ecology
Public policies against global warming
Towards sustainability in world fisheries
Driving the human ecological footprint
Global patterns in human consumption of net primary production
Reexamining the Evidence of an Ecological Association between Income Inequality and Health
Forecasting the Effects of Obesity and Smoking on U.S. Life Expectancy
Income Inequality and Health
Consequences of smoking for body weight, body fat distribution, and insulin resistance
The Influence Of Income On Health
Measuring sustainable development — Nation by nation
Income inequality and population health
The Sustainability of Population Health
Income and health
Ecological Unequal Exchange
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |