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Earth is the only place with perfect conditions for human existence. Nature provides absolutely everything for our physical and mental well-being. With the human population is increasing at an unprecedented rate in the past century, the exploitation of nature has also reached an unsustainable level; so high that many natural resources and living creatures are now on the verge of complete extinction. Sustainable development has not always been a priority and as a result we live in a polluted or even contaminated environment that harms our health. Many health problems and deaths worldwide as a result of an unhealthy environment can be prevented or drastically reduced by efforts made to improve the quality of the environment. Now more than ever, it is critical that we understand and take action to protect our environmental health.
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Environmental Health Matters
We live in a world with pretty much limitless possibilities for living. Of course, some people have more options in deciding where to live than others. The guiding criteria because the best places to live usually include affordability, job opportunities, home value, proximity to family and friends, safety, good schools, and climate and weather. However, it was not until the beginning of the 20th century that people began to understand how air pollution can cause a dent in the atmosphere. In essence, it was the beginning of an academic discipline that was created to try to understand the environmental threats that are mainly caused by human activities and their consequences on the environment, and to find a way to reduce the negative impact on nature and maintain the Earth in the best possible way. . a requirement for generations to come.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health care as “the art and science of disease prevention, life extension and improvement of health through the organized efforts of society”. Public health therefore includes health protection and the well-being of the entire population. These populations can be represented by smaller local settlements, larger regions, or even the entire world.
Quality of environment in which we live affects us every day, without us even realizing it. The food we eat, the place we live in and the community we interact with every day affect our physical and mental well-being. This is part of a broad field of study called ‘Environmental health protection‘, a discipline that – as the name suggests – talks about every aspect of the environment that can affect our health.
6 sources responsible for environmental health issues
1. Air pollution
Pollutants are a mixture natural and artificial elements, molecules and particles with an adverse effect on human health. Breathing in air polluted by nearby factories or heavy traffic affects the lungs and heart, causing asthma and even increasing the risk of heart attack or stroke. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 600,000 children die every year from respiratory infections caused by air pollution. 9 out of 10 people breathe polluted air which leads to almost 9 million deaths annually.
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2. Water contamination
Access to clean water is a universal human right, but unfortunately for many it is still a privilege. 780 million people are missing in the world access to safe drinking water and a staggering 2.5 billion people, the equivalent of nearly one-third of the world’s population, do not have access to acceptable sanitation services as simple as bathrooms. Over 2,000 children die every day from diseases related to inadequate water and sanitation.
3. Toxic substances and hazardous waste
Toxic substances can be found in discarded materials with properties that may harm the environment and human health, such as heavy metals or chemicals. Such waste is often stored in landfills or simply thrown away as litter that pollutes the environment. Human production of chemicals increased dramatically between 1930 and 2000, from 1 million to approximately 400 million tons per year, and the trend shows no signs of slowing. The average person absorbs about 300 man-made chemicals and according to the WHO, exposure to them leads to more than 1.6 million deaths annually.
4. Climate change and natural disasters
Climate change is the single greatest threat to human health 21st century. Rising global temperatures and changes in rainfall patterns, resulting in extreme weather events such as cyclones, hurricanes, droughts and wildfires, are having catastrophic effects on entire communities and infrastructure, in many cases leading to loss of life. The highly memorable earthquake in Haiti in 2010, which lasted only 30 seconds, cost more than 160,000 liveswith many more injured or affected.
5. Infrastructure issues
Infrastructure represents one of the main pillars of a high-quality life. Health centers and hospitals should be integrated into the wider community. Still, local, state and federal governments must commit more resources to overcome infrastructure problems and must make it a priority.
Better infrastructure naturally comes with better access to healthcare. As Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), said: “It is completely unacceptable that half the world still does not have coverage for the most basic health services.
The danger of an unhealthy environment
As rightly Anne Stauffer, director of strategy and campaigns at the European non-profit Alliance for Health and the Environment (HEAL) says: “There is not much difference between 2012 and 2020, in fact the urgency to tackle environmental pollution and climate change has only increased.” She also points out that “one of the root causes of the problem is that our entire the way of production, consumption and lifestyle is based on fossil fuels.
And in 2019 the report established by the European Environment Agency heat waves are the deadliest type of extreme weather in Europe. It also reveals that under the current global warming scenario, the number of deaths due to heat waves could exceed 130,000 per year. Other statistics suggest that 23% of all deaths (26% of deaths in children aged 0-5) are entirely preventable environmental health problems.
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What can we do to improve environmental health?
- Afforestation: More plants and trees that help absorb carbon dioxide and reduce its content in the atmosphere, help build new ecosystems, help demand for wood
- Reduce your use of plastic: Plastic waste accounts for 80% of all sea pollution. Researchers worry that by 2050, plastic it can even outnumber all the fish in the sea.
- Practice sustainable or regenerative agriculture: Regenerative agriculture and other methods sustainable agriculture help reduce emissions and improve soil health. Agriculture it is responsible for 80% of land degradation in Europe alone. With unhealthy soil, there will not be enough food of sufficient quality for the growing population.
- Electric cars: Electric cars are not only a great alternative to gasoline cars, but can reduce the car’s carbon footprint by up to 70%. In addition, these types of vehicles do not produce the same level of exhaust noise as gasoline cars, which can help in highly populated areas where noise pollution is already a concern.
- Rainwater harvesting: Rainwater harvesting helps manage stormwater runoff and prevents erosion, flooding and poor water quality in water bodies. Using rainwater as a source for irrigation it helps replenish underground water supplies.
- Energy saving: Simply switching to energy-saving light bulbs can reduce household electricity consumption by between 25-80%. Adopting these and other energy-saving practices significantly reduces our reliance on fossil fuels, which continue to be the main source of energy around the world.
- Reduction of industrial emissions and waste: Earth will become uninhabitable if fossil fuel emissions are not rapidly reduced. Most of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere over the past 150 years have come from human activities.
Final thoughts
Eenvironmental health has never been more important. All we have to do is take care of our planet. Many may feel too small to stop climate change or environmental tragedies, but there are numerous ways we can help and be part of this change. In order to live longer and improve people’s quality of life, supporting a healthy environment is essential.
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