UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures to collaborate with Council on Planetary Health Initiative

Blue Mountains City Council has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with University of Technology Sydney, Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF) to explore opportunities to work together on initiatives that support planetary health with potential local benefits for the Blue Mountains.

This new MOU builds on the existing partnerships with Western Sydney University and Monash Sustainable Development Institute, already collaborating with Council on the Planetary Health Initiative.

Mayor, Councillor Mark Greenhill, said: “Blue Mountains City Council is excited to collaborate with the ISF at University of Technology Sydney, along with Western Sydney and Monash Universities, to support the establishment of Planetary Health initiatives that will provide a range of local, regional, national, and international research, learning, and experiential benefits.

“Planetary Health initiatives will advance knowledge about planetary health and promote such action as sustainable living, environmental science, climate change adaptation, bushfire management, and their impact on the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area and its unique biodiversity.”

Blue Mountains City Council Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Rosemary Dillon said: “As one of only two cities in the world being within a UNESCO declared World Heritage Area, the Council recognises its stewardship responsibility in managing the City’s sustainably within a landscape of global biodiversity and ecosystem significance.”

The Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF) takes a solutions-focused approach to help governments, organisations, businesses and communities move towards a more sustainable future.

The ISF sees this initiative as an opportunity to further their research collaborations with Council and the Blue Mountains community, with a particular focus on Planetary Health.

“There is a growing recognition that climate change poses a significant risk to human and planetary health,” says Professor Jason Prior. “Addressing the issue could be the greatest health opportunity of the 21st century.

“Planetary Health initiatives like the one being fostered by the Blue Mountains City Council are fundamental in building awareness of – and finding ways to combat – the health implications of climate change, so that current and future generations can enjoy a healthier, more sustainable way of life.”

The Institute for Sustainable Futures states its objectives in the MOU as: “ISF's vision is strongly aligned with the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and all of our work is mapped against them using an innovative tool we developed for this purpose.

“We produce creative and disruptive solutions in partnership with government, industry and community clients. We challenge ourselves to begin at the end – to identify aspirational, practical and adaptable outcomes that drive meaningful change and initiate the steps to achieve them.”