Environmental wellbeing: a concept and principles for research, policy and action

Environmental wellbeing is often referred to in academic literature but seldom defined. This article provides two contributions to knowledge: (1) developing an integrated concept of environmental wellbeing, positioning it as a locally situated counterpart to notions of ‘planetary health’ and ‘human wellbeing’, and (2) outlining practical principles for its operationalisation. Building on concepts of environmental justice, this article begins with novel theorisation of environmental wellbeing as a (natural and social) state in which humans and non-humans, both as individuals and as parts of larger ecosystems, can thrive within an equitable balancing of resources and uses. Nevertheless, such balancing needs to account for, and counter, the uneven causation of harms as well as the uneven distribution of benefits, while recognising that advances towards environmental wellbeing should be pragmatically achievable within an already severely damaged natural world. The article addresses these challenges by offering practical principles for operationalising environmental wellbeing within local decision-making. Environmental wellbeing is thus articulated here not only as a theorised desirable state but also as a practical tool for advocacy and policy development.

This article sets out a new way of understanding 'environmental wellbeing'. Based on a review of relevant literature, it highlights the importance of considering human and nonhuman wellbeing together within their local context. The article shows how the concept can be put into practice by local decision-makers.