Planetary boundaries, wellbeing & healthcare with Mia Heide (WELA)
What does it actually mean for human health that we’ve now exceeded 7 out of 9 planetary boundaries – up from 6 out of 9 in 2023 – and how should healthcare systems respond?
In this episode, we're joined by Mia Heide, engineer and researcher at WELA – Wellbeing Economy Lab, to unpack the latest science and what it implies for policy, practice, and care pathways. Sustainable Healthcare Podcast …
We talk about:
- What the planetary boundaries framework is – and why it’s about hard limits, not “nice-to-have” goals
- The new 2025 assessment showing we’ve transgressed 7/9 boundaries, and what changed since 2023
- How to downscale planetary boundaries to a country level (e.g. Denmark) using different sharing principles – equal per capita, capacity to reduce, historical responsibility, and “grandfathering”
- Why some principles give wealthy countries like Denmark a negative carbon budget, and why “equal” is not the same as “fair”
- The concept of decent living standards – what’s the minimum energy and material footprint needed to secure basic human needs globally?
- Health impacts of specific boundaries once we overshoot them, including:
- Climate change: extreme weather, heat stress, displacement and food security
- Freshwater change: water scarcity, sanitation breakdown, conflict risk
- Novel entities (PFAS, microplastics, synthetic chemicals): cancer risk, hormone disruption, fertility impacts – and why this is hugely under-discussed in public health
- The uncomfortable paradox: we need to meet basic needs and stay within limits – and every tonne of CO₂ still counts
- Why healthcare decarbonisation must be seen in a two-way relationship:
- Healthcare activities impact planetary boundaries
- Overshooting those boundaries, in turn, undermines population health and health system resilience
- Where Mia still finds motivation and drive in 2025 – and why “a different world is possible” is not just a slogan
About our guest – Mia Heide & WELA
Mia Heide is an engineer and researcher at WELA – Wellbeing Economy Lab, a Danish, independent think tank working for a wellbeing economy where societal progress is measured by the ability to create good lives for all within planetary boundaries – now and for future generations.
Resources & links mentioned
If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a colleague, rate the show, or suggest future guests – it really helps us bring more voices like Mia’s into the sustainable...
