Global environmental health encompasses the natural world—air, water, vegetation, animals, and humans. A sustainable world is one in which present needs are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. In a sustainable world, natural systems are allowed to flourish, everyone has access to clean water and air, and humans are treated ethically and equally.

Recent research highlights the growing recognition that we as humans are dependent upon the very resources our industrialized society is degrading. There is a need to create long-term sustainability, which will profoundly affect the wellbeing of both the planet and its individual citizens.