Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for 72% of all deaths globally and this proportion is growing. Greatest increases in NCD mortality are seen in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Places that only a generation ago knew famine are
today experiencing epidemics of obesity, diabetes..., cardiovascular disease, and cancer. These epidemics reduce human capital in developing countries and their economic costs are so great that they threaten to slow and even undercut trajectories of economic and social development.
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Although air pollution is well known to be harmful to the lung and airways, it can also damage most other organ systems of the body. It is estimated that about 500,000 lung cancer deaths and 1.6 million COPD deaths can be attributed to air pollution, but air pollution may also account for 19% of all... cardiovascular deaths and 21% of all stroke deaths. Air pollution has been linked to other malignancies, such as bladder cancer and childhood leukemia. Lung development in childhood is stymied with exposure to air pollutants, and poor lung development in children predicts lung impairment in adults. Air pollution is associated with reduced cognitive function and increased risk of dementia. Particulate matter in the air (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter < 2.5 μm) is associated with delayed psychomotor development and lower child intelligence. Studies link air pollution with diabetes mellitus prevalence, morbidity, and mortality. Pollution affects the immune system and is associated with allergic rhinitis, allergic sensitization, and autoimmunity. It is also associated with osteoporosis and bone fractures, conjunctivitis, dry eye disease, blepharitis, inflammatory bowel disease, increased intravascular coagulation, and decreased glomerular filtration rate. Atopic and urticarial skin disease, acne, and skin aging are linked to air pollution. Air pollution is controllable and, therefore, many of these adverse health effects can be prevented.
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Air pollution is one of the leading causes of health complications and mortality worldwide, especially affecting lower-income groups, who tend to be more exposed and vulnerable. This study documents the relationship between ambient air pollution exposure and poverty in 211 countries and territories.... Using the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 2021 revised fine particulate matter (PM2.5) thresholds, we show that globally, 7.3 billion people are directly exposed to unsafe average annual PM2.5 concentrations, 80 percent of whom live in low- and middle-income countries. Moreover, 716 million of the world’s lowest income people (living on less than $1.90 per day) live in areas with unsafe levels of air pollution, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. Air pollution levels are particularly high in lower-middle-income countries, where economies tend to rely more heavily on polluting industries and technologies. These findings are based on high-resolution air pollution and population maps with global coverage, as well as subnational poverty estimates based on harmonized household surveys.
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As a central component of the UNHCR Strategic Directions 2022-2026, UNHCR has identified eight focus areas for renewed attention and accelerated action, including Climate Action. This Focus Area Strategic Plan for Climate Action sets out a global roadmap for prioritized action, providing further cla...rity on UNHCR’s role and direct contribution, its asks of others, and the immediate actions the organization will take to be optimally calibrated to advance this agenda.
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Background: The impacts of air pollutants on health range from short-term health impairments to hospital admissions
and deaths. Climate change is leading to an increase in air pollution.
Air pollution is a major environmental risk factor and contributor to chronic, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). However, most public health approaches to NCD prevention focus on behavioural and biomedical risk factors, rather than environmental risk factors such as air pollution. This article discus...ses the implications of such a focus. It then outlines the opportunities for those in public health and environmental science to work together across three key areas to address air pollution, NCDs and climate change: (a) acknowledging the shared drivers, including corporate determinants; (b) taking a ‘co-benefits’ approach to NCD prevention; and (c) expanding prevention research and evaluation methods through investing in systems thinking and intersectoral, cross-disciplinary collaborations.
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This policy brief explores the impact of air pollution on health and address the air quality issue in the response to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). It also provides key actions that policy makers, NGOs and health professionals can take to ensure that every one can breathe clean air.
The World Health Organization (WHO) video titled "Preventing Disease Through Healthy Environments" highlights the significant impact of environmental factors on global health. It reports that in 2012, approximately 12.6 million deaths—nearly one in four worldwide—were attributable to unhealthy e...nvironments. The video emphasizes the importance of addressing environmental risks to prevent diseases and improve public health outcomes.
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In 2020, emissions of all key air pollutants in the 27 Member States of the EU (EU-27) continued to decline, maintaining a trend seen since 2005. This was the case despite an increase in gross domestic product (GDP) over the same period.
Residential, commercial and institutional energy consumption ...was the principal source of particulate matter in 2020. The manufacturing and extractive industry was also a significant source, while agriculture was an equally important source of PM10. Between 2005 and 2020, emissions of particulate matter, PM10 and PM2.5, fell by 30% and 32%, respectively.
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Air pollution is the second leading cause of deaths from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) after tobacco smoking, according to WHO.
Long-term exposure of humans to air pollution enhances the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. A novel Global Exposure Mortality Model (GEMM) has been derived from many cohort studies, providing much-improved coverage of the exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5). We applied the GE...MM to assess excess mortality attributable to ambient air pollution on a global scale and compare to other risk factors.
Methods and results
We used a data-informed atmospheric model to calculate worldwide exposure to PM2.5 and ozone pollution, which was combined with the GEMM to estimate disease-specific excess mortality and loss of life expectancy (LLE) in 2015. Using this model, we investigated the effects of different pollution sources, distinguishing between natural (wildfires, aeolian dust) and anthropogenic emissions, including fossil fuel use. Global excess mortality from all ambient air pollution is estimated at 8.8 (7.11–10.41) million/year, with an LLE of 2.9 (2.3–3.5) years, being a factor of two higher than earlier estimates, and exceeding that of tobacco smoking. The global mean mortality rate of about 120 per 100 000 people/year is much exceeded in East Asia (196 per 100 000/year) and Europe (133 per 100 000/year). Without fossil fuel emissions, the global mean life expectancy would increase by 1.1 (0.9–1.2) years and 1.7 (1.4–2.0) years by removing all potentially controllable anthropogenic emissions. Because aeolian dust and wildfire emission control is impracticable, significant LLE is unavoidable.
Conclusion
Ambient air pollution is one of the main global health risks, causing significant excess mortality and LLE, especially through cardiovascular diseases. It causes an LLE that rivals that of tobacco smoking. The global mean LLE from air pollution strongly exceeds that by violence (all forms together), i.e. by an order of magnitude (LLE being 2.9 and 0.3 years, respectively).
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Take a look at our PLANETARY HEALTH toolbox, there you will find all relevant documents on all aspects of Planetary Health
Learn the ETAT+ guidelines on how to resuscitate a newborn baby who is born not breathing in this exciting 3D simulation training app. Navigate around a virtual reality hospital, find the equipment you need and quiz yourself with interactive quizzes, multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and perform simu...lated procedures.
In this simulated scenario, you are faced with a baby who is born not breathing and have to use your clinical skills to follow the ETAT + guidelines and save the baby's life. You are working against the clock and must select the correct medical equipment and carry out the key life-saving steps needed.
ETAT + guidelines for the management of paediatric emergencies are currently used for training healthcare professionals in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Sierra Leone and Myanmar and are supported by the UK's Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
LIFE (Life-saving Instruction for Emergencies) is a new smartphone and virtual reality (VR) medical simulation training platform for teaching healthcare workers in Africa and low-resource settings how to save lives using a fun and challenging 3D game. LIFE allows nurses, doctors, medical students, trainees and healthcare workers who want to learn key resus skills on their own smartphones, to enter a realistic 3D hospital environment using the latest game-engine technology to try out their skills on simulated patients.
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What does the future hold for the world’s children?
In many ways, the future is now. Today’s actions and decisions will determine the future children inherit.
Unfortunately, today's children live in a world fraught with crises, poverty and discrimination. Where far too many are deprived of... opportunities to meet their full potential.
We can and must do better.
The future of childhood hangs in the balance.
This year’s State of the World’s Children Report examines the forces and trends shaping our world today and reflects on how they might shape the future.
The report explores three megatrends that will profoundly impact children’s lives between now and 2050: demographics shifts, the climate and environmental crises and frontier technologies.
It also presents three future scenarios – possible outcomes, not predictions – for how children could experience the world of 2050.
As we consider what we can do today, our responsibility is clear: now is the time to shape a better future for every child.
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Fistula Care's implementing partner in Ethiopia, IntraHealth, has developed materials to train health workers on obstetric fistula prevention, identification, and pre-repair care. The course contains a participant handbook (PDF, 604 KB), a facilitator manual (PDF, 1.3 MB), ten modules, a variety of ...visual aids, and supplementary handouts
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Les tendances démographiques d’aujourd’hui façonneront la répartition des populations de demain. Il en va de même pour le carbone que nous rejetons dans l’atmosphère aujourd’hui, qui déterminera le climat de demain ou pour les technologies que nous développons et gouvernons, qui influ...enceront non seulement la manière dont les futures générations apprendront, travailleront et communiqueront, mais aussi le bien-être des enfants au cours des années à venir.
Alors que le premier quart du XXIe siècle touche à sa fin, le rapport La Situation des enfants dans le monde 2024 nous projette en 2050 et tente de répondre à la question suivante : Quelle est la meilleure voie à suivre pour assurer un avenir dans lequel chaque enfant jouit de ses droits, et bâtir un monde dans lequel tous les enfants survivent, s’épanouissent et réalisent leur plein potentiel?
Pour ce faire, ce rapport examine trois grandes tendances, à savoir trois forces puissantes qui s’inscrivent dans la durée à l’échelle mondiale et qui auront de profondes répercussions sur la vie des enfants entre aujourd’hui et 2050 : les changements démographiques, la crise climatique et environnementale et les technologies d’avant-garde. Comprendre ces tendances et leurs implications pour les enfants semble en effet essentiel pour mieux appréhender les défis et les possibilités qui
nous attendent
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ستشكل الاتجاهات الديموغرافية اليوم أنماط السكان في المستقبل. وسيحدد الكربون الذي نسكبه اليوم بغزارة في الغلاف الجوي معالم مناخ الغد. وستؤثر التقانات التي نطورها ون...تحكم بها اليوم على طرق تعلم الأجيال المقبلة وعملها وتواصلها وأيضاً على عافية الأطفال لسنوات طويلة.
مع اقترابنا من نهاية الربع الأول من القرن الحادي والعشرين، يتطلع تقرير حالة أطفال العالم لعام 2024 إلى عام 2050. ويسأل: كيف يمكننا تأمين مستقبل تتحقق فيه حقوق جميع الأطفال — عالم يحيا فيه جميع الأطفال ويزدهرون ويحققون إمكاناتهم بالكامل؟
يتناول هذا التقرير ثلاث قوى عالمية قوية وطويلة الأمد (أو اتجاهات كبرى) ستترك أثراً عميقاً على حياة الأطفال من الآن حتى عام 2050، وهي: التحولات الديموغرافية، وأزمات المناخ والبيئة، والتقانات الرائدة. وبفهم هذه الاتجاهات وتداعياتها على الأطفال، يمكننا أن ندرك بشكل أفضل التحديات والفرص التي تنتظرنا.
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Las tendencias demográficas actuales determinarán las futuras características de la población. El carbono expulsado hoy a la atmósfera definirá el clima del mañana. Las tecnologías que hoy desarrollamos y controlamos no solo influirán en la forma de aprender, trabajar y comunicar de las fut...uras generaciones, sino también en el bienestar de la infancia durante las próximas décadas.
Conforme el primer cuarto del siglo XXI llega a su fin, el Estado Mundial de la Infancia 2024 ha decidido mirar hacia adelante y situarse en el año 2050. Y plantea la siguiente pregunta: ¿cuál es la mejor manera de lograr un futuro donde todos los niños y niñas disfruten de sus derechos? ¿Cómo podemos construir un mundo donde todos puedan sobrevivir, prosperar y desarrollar plenamente su potencial?
El informe examina tres megatendencias o grandes fenómenos mundiales y a largo plazo que tendrán importantes efectos sobre las vidas de los niños y niñas de aquí a 2050: los cambios demográficos, las crisis climáticas y medioambientales y las tecnologías de vanguardia. Si entendemos estas tendenciasy lo que implican para la infancia, comprenderemos mejor los retos y las oportunidades que se nos pueden presentar.
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