# Personal Takeaways - Horton underscores the need to redefine NCDs in a broader socio-political and environmental context, beyond mere healthcare solutions. - NCDs, climate change, and poor nutrition co-occur, interact, and exacerbate one another. Addressing one crisis requires addressing them all holistically ([[syndemic]]) - Barriers to Progress - Short-termism: Human tendencies to prioritize immediate needs over long-term risks impede effective action. - Inequities and structural issues: Poor education, gender inequalities, economic dysfunction, and unsustainable production and consumption amplify the risks of NCDs. - Economic incentives: Current economic systems profit from creating public health risks (e.g., promoting unhealthy consumption) rather than mitigating them. > “The unsolved paradox is that policies that would produce the greatest health impact receive the least attention. Why? Here is the alarming truth: [[our economies are incentivised to earn vast private wealth by increasing public risks for NCDs]]. Until that truth is accepted and addressed, NCDs will remain part of an unchecked planetary emergency.” (Horton, 2019, p. 1922) - **Syndemics and Interlinked Crises**: - Horton references The Lancet’s Commission on the Global Syndemic of Obesity, Undernutrition, and Climate Change, which defines syndemics as "synergies of epidemics" with shared societal drivers. - **Barriers to Progress**: - Short-termism: Human tendencies to prioritize immediate needs over long-term risks impede effective action. - Inequities and structural issues: Poor education, gender inequalities, economic dysfunction, and unsustainable production and consumption amplify the risks of NCDs. - Economic incentives: Current economic systems profit from creating public health risks (e.g., promoting unhealthy consumption) rather than mitigating them. - **Reconceptualizing Global Health**: - Horton calls for a radical overhaul of how global health addresses NCDs, advocating for: - A focus on interconnected crises rather than isolated health issues. - Policies addressing root causes, including [[commercial determinants of health]] and inequities. - Greater integration of planetary health considerations into NCD strategies. - **Call to Action**: - Horton emphasizes that NCDs represent a broader planetary emergency. Tackling NCDs demands addressing their structural drivers and acknowledging their connections to environmental, social, and economic systems.