More than 13 million people worldwide die from preventable environmental causes each year.. This was condemned by the World Health Organization (WHO), which aims to capitalize on the Eid-al-Adha celebrations. World Health Day 2022today, to draw attention to the urgent measures needed to protect human health.
The First World Health Assembly proposed establishing a World Health Day in 1948 to commemorate the founding of WHO. World Health Day has been celebrated every 7 April since 1950. Each year, a specific health theme is chosen for this day to highlight a primary concern of WHO.
This year with the campaign “Our planet, our health”, WHO urges governments and citizens to report on the measures they are taking. protecting the planet and its health and prioritizing welfare societies.
“In the midst of a pandemic, a polluted planet, and an increase in diseases such as cancer, asthma and heart disease,” the WHO warned. The climate crisis is the biggest health threat facing humanity. “The climate crisis is also a health crisis,” he said.
“Even though the Covid-19 outbreak shows the healing power of sciencealso revealed inequalities of our world,” adds the WHO.
The epidemic made it clear:urgent need to build sustainable prosperous societies and is committed to achieving equal health for both now and future generations without crossing ecological boundaries”, underlines the organization led by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
welfare economies
According to WHO, The current approach to the world economy leads to “unequal distribution of income, wealth and power”.It causes too many people to continue living in it. situations of poverty and instability”.
WHO recommendation is a A radical shift towards “welfare economies”ensuring “people’s well-being, equity and environmental sustainability”. WHO says these goals should be reflected in: long-term investmentsbudgets focused on welfare, social protection, and legal and financial strategies.
“To break these cycles of destruction of planetary and human health, legal measuresreforming companies and encouraging and supporting people to make sound decisions.”
“Our political, social and business decisions contribute to the climate and health crisis” is WHO, which lists the main problems facing humankind today.
–99% of humanity breathes unhealthy air that it is a result of burning fossil fuels;
– Due to global warming, mosquitoes spread diseases more and faster.
–extreme weather eventssoil degradation and water scarcity displaces people and affects their health.
–pollution and plastic they reach the bottom of the deepest oceans and the tops of the highest mountains, and they made their way down the food chain.
–Highly transformed and unhealthy food and beverage production systems, wave of obesity, rising cancer and heart diseasewhile accounting for one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Suggestions for post-pandemic
WHO is the author of a manifesto with six recommendations for a “healthy and environmentally friendly” recovery from the pandemic.
1. Protect and preserve nature, which is the source of human health. “Economies are the product of healthy human societies, which in turn depend on the natural environment. Deforestation, intensive and polluting farming practices, and unsafe management and consumption of wildlife undermine these services and increase the risk of new infectious diseases.
2. Invest in essential services, from water and sanitation to clean energy in health centers. Millions of people do not have access to the most basic services necessary to maintain their health. Hand washing equipment is required to prevent the transmission of communicable diseases, but 40% of households do not have this equipment.
3. Ensuring a rapid energy transition for health. Currently, more than seven million people (one in eight deaths) die each year from exposure to air pollution. 75% of outdoor pollution comes from the burning of the same fossil fuels that cause climate change. Renewable energy sources should be preferred.
4. Promote healthy and sustainable food systems. Diseases resulting from lack of access to food or from unhealthy, high-calorie diets are currently the leading cause of health problems among the world’s population. They also increase the risk of obesity and diabetes. There is a need to quickly switch to healthy, nutritious and sustainable diets.
5. Build healthy and livable cities. More than half of the world’s population lives in cities, which are responsible for more than 60% of economic activity and greenhouse gas emissions. Promoting mobility by walking, cycling and public transport, pedestrian streets and bike lanes will reduce air pollution and improve health.
6. Stop using taxpayers’ money to finance pollution. Financial reforms will be inevitable to recover from the crisis caused by Covid. Stopping subsidizing fossil fuels can be a good starting point. €366 billion in taxes is spent each year to subsidize fossil fuels that contribute to climate change and pollute the air.
WHO World Health Day 2022 website: https://www.who.int/es/campaigns/world-health-day/2022