By almost any measure, human health is better now than at any time in history. Life expectancy has soared from 47 years in 1950–1955, to 69 years in 2005–2010, and death rates in children younger than 5 years of age have decreased substantially, from 214 per thousand live births in 1950–1955, ...to 59 in 2005–2010. But these gains in human health have come at a high price: the degradation of nature’s ecological systems on a scale never seen in human history. A growing body of evidence shows that the health of humanity is intrinsically linked to the health of the environment, but by its actions humanity now threatens to destabilise the Earth’s key life-support systems.
As a Commission, we conclude that the continuing degradation of natural systems threatens to reverse the health gains seen over the last century. In short, we have mortgaged the health of future generations to realise economic and development gains in the present.
Despite present limitations, the Sustainable Development Goals provide a great opportunity to integrate health and sustainability through the judicious selection of relevant indicators relevant to human wellbeing, the enabling infrastructure for development, and the supporting natural systems, together with the need for strong governance.
more
Today’s children, and their children, are the ones who will live with the consequences of climate change.
PLoS ONE 9(1): e87262. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0087262
PLoS ONE 9(6): e99880. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0099880
Published June 17, 2014
Introduction
Chapter A.10
Provisional recommendations May 2014
DHS Working Papers No. 108 | Zimbabwe Working Papers
No. 9
EVALUATION OF UNICEF PROGRAMMES TO PROTECT CHILDREN IN EMERGENCIES: Synthesis Report
In its report from 2014, the Working Group outlines the various factors influencing vaccine acceptance or refusal, and what can be done to create social norms around vaccine acceptance and to encourage the general public regarding the necessity of vaccination.