The future health of human civilisation dependson the careful management of the planet’s naturalresources. This formidable challenge demands holistic,interdisciplinary problem-solving. Yet some researchCultures (distinguished, with a capital “C”, from typicaldesignations of culture that are associated with values,religion, ritual practices, and so on) have gained moreinfluence (such as through funding) than other researchcultures in developing knowledge about and solutions forplanetary health.When included in planetary health research, cultureis represented as an externality that can be isolatedas one factor among many within, for instance,ecosystems, infrastructure, markets, or policies. 1 Thisnarrow interpretation of culture is further constrained bydifficulties associated with measuring qualitative factorsand outcomes. 2 Invariably, more emphasis is placed oneconomic and social measurements of basic needs thanqualitative interpretations of need and related concepts(such as cultural rights), 3,4 which are also important for apositive experience of life and the future health of humancivilisation. Projects that improve physical capital (suchas in infrastructure and technology) that stimulate so-called green growth—ie, economic development thatenables the preservation of natural resources 5 —or securebasic human needs through scientific or compatiblesocial science approaches (such as environmentaleconomics, behavioural psychology, management, orbusiness studies)6 are typically prioritised for funding andinvestment relative to approaches such as ethnographicresearch. Complex cultural needs might not be takeninto account in studies that use quantitative approachesto analyses, perhaps for reasons of model parsimony orperceived objectivity.
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