Historically, blood-shedding has often been associated with heroic acts of valour. However, menstruation is not praised and cherished in the same way. Rather, menstruation is shrouded in secrecy, stigma, and stress, despite being a natural physiological process that occurs in a quarter of the global population.

The global biodiversity crisis is one of the great threats to planetary health.

The core countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the rest of Europe (collectively referred to here as the Global North) use on average about 130 gigajoules of energy per capita each year, nearly ten times more than what low-income countries use (13·4 GJ/capita).

Land is and means different things to different people. Indigenous, pastoralist, and rural farming communities are especially dependent on land, which is widely recognised by conservation organisations. Such communities are often uniquely vulnerable to the effects of ecosystem destruction while simultaneously having strong social norms and cultural values that support ecosystem preservation.

We propose a novel method for quantifying national responsibility for ecological breakdown by assessing nations’ cumulative material use in excess of equitable and sustainable boundaries.

Policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the gendered aspect of pandemics; however, addressing the gendered implications of the COVID-19 pandemic comprehensively and effectively requires a planetary health perspective that embraces systems thinking to inequalities.

We read with interest the study by Rao and colleagues on opioid policy effectiveness, which extends their previous modeling efforts to predict opioid-related overdose, life-years, and QALYs. This work presents a useful framework from which to investigate policy effectiveness.

When President Xi Jinping addressed the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China last month, he spoke of “the scientific truth of Marxism-Leninism”. Marxism (with Chinese characteristics), as President Xi went on to set out, is to be the foundation for a Healthy China.