Following the suggestions of researchers and scientists dealing with planetary health, the Italian Association of Doctors for the Environment (Isde Italia) asks candidates for elections for the European Parliament “for a transparent and consequent commitment to promote good policies aimed at safeguarding the environment and preventing diseases caused by air, water and soil pollution, as well as climate change”. These are the main contents of the event promoted by Isde Italia on the occasion of the 23rd edition of the Italian Environmental Medical Days, at the Office of the European Parliament in Italy in Rome.
The experts – reports a note – presented their recommendations and proposals to improve environmental and health policies at European level, based on what is contained in the Manifesto-appeal prepared by the association and in the document ‘To create a strong Europe we need that leaders are not afraid to give priority to health’, created by the European environment and health network Heal, of which Isde Italia is the contact for our country. “We ask the European candidates – states Giovanni Ghirga, Isde Italia doctor – to actively engage in policies to mitigate the economic damage caused by climate change and air pollution, both mainly caused by the use of fossil fuels. Good results can be achieved by promoting more sustainable environmental policies, encouraging the use of renewable energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and working towards international collaboration aimed at achieving the objectives of the Paris Agreement. This in order to protect the health of citizens, the environment and the economy by acting proactively to address the challenges related to climate change”.
Climate change – experts recall – produces heat waves, floods and droughts with increasing frequency and intensity. The heat alone caused 61 thousand deaths in the summer of 2022 in Europe: children, pregnant women and the elderly are the most exposed and most susceptible to health effects. For air pollution, which causes tens of thousands of premature deaths every year, Isde Italia believes it is necessary for the next European Parliament to work to adopt the new air quality limits before the deadlines currently set, to pursue as soon as possible the alignment of the EU limits with those proposed by the World Health Organization in September 2021. In this regard, Giovanni Viegi, CNR pulmonologist and epidemiologist, after illustrating the health effects of air pollution, mentioned the provision on the new limits acceptable in the EU reporting that “in Italy 175 deaths per 100 thousand inhabitants would be avoidable without the 10-year delay in pursuing the objective of a PM2.5 concentration of 10 micrograms/cubic meter”.
To combat a food system based on intensive farming and agriculture, Isde Italia believes it is necessary to immediately ban all pesticides that can cause damage to health and encourage organic and local production as well as short-chain consumption. On waste management, the experts, in order to understand the costs involved in production and treatment and the business opportunities for traffickers and illegal managers, recalled that only 7.2% of materials derive from waste recycling. Since 20 May – the note recalls – the new regulation has been in force which dictates stricter rules for the shipment of waste which, unfortunately, will only be enforceable in 3 years. For experts, it is unacceptable that crime and pollution thrive in the shadow of the 35 million tonnes of EU waste exported in 2023, to which are added internal illegal management, in addition to the dumping, in the countries receiving the waste, of the environmental impact of the economies of senders.
According to Isde Italia, there are almost 35 thousand areas to be reclaimed in our country – around 300 thousand hectares, twice the size of the province of Milan – but only around half have the characterization and design process completed and just 15% have had the remediation carried out ( source Ispra). In Europe there are an estimated 342 thousand contaminated sites: only 15% have undergone environmental remediation (ISS source) and the number of 42 areas of national interest (Sin) with an approved remediation project reaches 14% and 16% the one with a procedure concluded with a ‘non-contamination’ outcome or with ‘remediation completed’: the rest needs to be characterized and remediated, to the detriment of over 6 million residents.
Furthermore, for the medical association it is necessary to act decisively in countering the new planetary risk deriving from microplastics now present everywhere, including the food chain, producing serious health risks. Recent EU measures regarding the reduction of packaging and intentionally produced microplastics would not be sufficient to counteract the environmental and health effects. For this reason, experts are calling on health professionals around the world to urge delegates to commit to a fair and equitable Treaty that respects human rights, limits the production of plastic, eliminates unnecessary plastic products, including single-use plastic , prioritize detoxification and ensure the transparency of plastic products and materials. Finally, it is essential to take into account the external, environmental and health costs resulting from pollution caused by non-ecological human activities.
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