This article first appeared in Forum, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on August 11, 2025 - August 17, 2025

When I’m asked what planetary health means, I often say it is a systems approach to protect human health and well-being, ensuring social equity and justice and recognising that human health and economic well-being depend on the health of the planet. It is not a new idea. Indigenous communities have lived this truth for generations. But it is an idea whose time has come, especially for the private sector in Malaysia.

This column marks the start of a monthly series for The Edge in which I aim to explore the intersection between business and planetary health. I am grateful for the opportunity, and I intend to use this space not just to share and advise, but also to learn and, of course, to challenge the business sector. Because while Malaysia has made bold policy commitments on sustainability and climate action, far too many companies remain stuck in the language of “green intentions” without the substance of meaningful transformation — and I’m keen to understand why.

Planetary health is not just another environmental, social and governance (ESG) box to tick. It goes deeper than disclosures or compliance. It is about shifting the purpose and practices of business so that they regenerate, rather than deplete, the natural and social systems on which they depend. Let’s remind ourselves that, in the end, healthy businesses need healthy people — both need to thrive. And so, planetary health is rooted in confronting hard truths, such as our economy’s dependence on the same fossil fuels that are poisoning our air while they deliver prosperity that increasingly benefits the few rather than the many. It is about measuring the true environmental cost of unchecked consumption, the real cost to our planet and human health, and asking how we can create value differently.

There are strong signals that change is not only necessary but an inevitability, driven by humanity’s growing understanding that we cannot simply continue the way that we are. The recent advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice on states’ obligations regarding climate change, the proliferation of mandatory sustainability reporting standards and the European Union’s new Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism are all developments that are making it clear: businesses will be held accountable for the harm they cause, whether through regulation, litigation or consumer action.

But there is a more hopeful reason to care about planetary health. It represents a significant growth opportunity for those ready to lead. Clean energy, climate-smart agriculture, circular economy and nature-based solutions — these are not niche ideas anymore. They are the foundation of the next wave of economic competitiveness as humanity accelerates efforts to transition. Malaysia’s own plans, including the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR), the 12th and 13th Malaysia Plans, and the soon-to-be published National Planetary Health Action Plan, all make this clear. This industrial revolution-scale transition has started — here at home and around the world. The only question is whether we will be leaders or laggards.

So, that’s why this column exists: to support the business community in navigating this transition with both ambition and integrity. Each month, I aim to unpack key issues — like nature risk, climate finance, governance reform or the human health costs of environmental degradation — and translate them into implications and actions for Malaysian firms. I will showcase examples of leadership from Malaysia and the region, spotlight tools and frameworks that go beyond ESG checklists and invite different voices into the conversation, from youth and indigenous leaders to scientists and economists.

But this will not be a space for greenwashing. It will not serve as a platform to repackage old models in recycled language. Malaysia deserves more than that. Our businesses have the talent, capital and ingenuity to drive meaningful solutions. But they must also have the courage to acknowledge their impacts — and to change.

I’m sorry to say that, too often, ESG has become a proxy for virtue when it should be a starting point for vigilance. Good governance, sound environmental management and social responsibility are important, but they are not the same as planetary health. I would suggest that ESG is a framework for measurement and disclosure while planetary health is a framework for survival.

After all, you can have a glowing ESG report and still be contributing to deforestation, biodiversity loss or rising emissions. You can claim to be “net zero by 2050” while still funding polluting activities today and putting off real action because the deadline feels far away. You can sponsor sustainability conferences while lobbying quietly against environmental regulation. This column will call out such contradictions — not to shame, but to push for honesty, principally because business as usual is no longer an option. The economic costs of planetary breakdown are already upon us. Climate extremes, supply chain disruptions, resource scarcity and health emergencies — these are not tomorrow’s problems. They are today’s accounting risks. And for many of the workers who keep industries running, these are already a matter of life and death.

At the same time, Malaysia has a remarkable window of opportunity. Our megadiverse ecosystems, strategic location, youthful population and policy frameworks position us well to become a regional leader in sustainable development — if we act. The private sector must be much closer to the heart of that shift than it has been, as we map out a sustainable future. Not just as beneficiaries of a stable environment and healthy workforce, but as full, responsible, talented partners in creating a new economy that serves both people and planet.

So please join me each month as we explore what this transformation means in practice. Planetary health is not an abstract concept. It is a daily, operational, strategic concern for every company, whether in manufacturing, finance, agriculture, construction or technology.

My most repeated phrase in meetings I speak at is: “It’s not about saving the planet. The planet will go on without us. It’s about saving ourselves — our businesses, our communities, our futures.”

Let’s get to work.

Prof Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood, a physician and experienced crisis leader, is executive director of the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health at Sunway University, Malaysia. She is the founder of Mercy Malaysia and has served in leadership roles internationally with the United Nations and Red Cross for the last decade. She also sits on several corporate and non-profit boards globally and nationally. In 2019, she was the first Malaysian recipient of the Asean prize.

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