health crisis
Air pollution's deadly toll in Europe
In 2021, air pollution in the European Union was responsible for over 500,000 deaths, with research indicating that adherance to medical guidelines on pollution could have prevented a significant portion of these fatalities.
In short:
- Nearly half of the deaths could have been prevented if pollution levels were reduced to meet the World Health Organization's recommended limits.
- Eastern and southeastern Europe bear the biggest burden.
- The EU has set a target to achieve a 55% reduction in deaths related to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution by the end of this decade, signaling a commitment to improving air quality.
Key quote:
"The figures released today...remind us that air pollution is still the number one environmental health problem in the EU."
— Virginijus Sinkevičius, EU environment commissioner.
Why this matters:
Air pollution remains a critical global health crisis, responsible for a range of serious health problems. Scientists estimate millions of preterm births and underweight newborns worldwide can be attributed to long-term exposure to air pollution. While Europe has improved air quality through tougher standards for industry, expanded public transport and restricting car traffic, there has been pushback.
How can we, as individuals and communities, contribute to reducing air pollution and safeguarding public health?
AI-based tools helped produce this text, with human oversight and editing.
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How the gas flares in Nigeria are fuelling a health crisis
Tom Brown and Christina Last write about Nigeria’s oil-rich south, where companies are burning off so much excess gas it's enough to power the whole of sub-Saharan Africa.
In a nutshell
In Nigeria's oil-rich city of Port Harcourt, gas flares belch toxic pollutants into the air, enveloping the area in a suffocating and hazardous environment. Over 230,000 people reside within two kilometers of these flares, enduring exposure to the resulting black fumes and toxins. Gas flaring, a practice employed by companies to burn off natural gas during oil drilling, not only wastes a valuable resource but also contributes to environmental devastation and health crises. The prevalence of birth defects in Port Harcourt is alarmingly high, and air pollution levels exceed recommended safety limits, causing respiratory problems and long-term health issues.
Key quote
“Flaring activity should be put behind us, but up to this date, nobody has been able to do that,” says King Johnson Ologho Erieyowe, a community leader who lives on the outskirts of a mangrove forest in the Delta. “It is a long battle.”
Big picture
Gas flaring poses a significant threat to public health. In addition to causing respiratory and other health issues locally, the flares release massive amounts of methane and CO2 into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change and exacerbating the global warming crisis. The resulting environmental havoc affects not only local communities but also has far-reaching consequences for people worldwide.
Read more at The Telegraph.
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Effort to reframe climate change as a health crisis gains steam
Research has increasingly shown that warming is taking a deadly toll on human health. At the global climate summit in Glasgow, the issue has gained new prominence.
Photo by Tandem X Visuals on Unsplash
Julia Gillard: Climate change is a health crisis
The United Nations Climate Change Conference currently underway in Glasgow is an ideal opportunity for world leaders to demonstrate that they understand that global warming is a health crisis, and that they are learning from the pandemic response.
www.usnews.com
Seth Mullendore: It’s time to shut down polluting urban power plants
The link between pollution and coronavirus mortality rates makes it even more clear why we must shut down peaker power plants.
Ozone pollution higher in Delhi due to heat wave, poses serious health risk
Ozone level has increased manifold in the Indian capital due to severe heat wave this season, posing a serious health risk and suggested aggressive control of industrial and vehicular emissions.
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