Science | Environment
They are more than all the annual victims of war, terrorism, AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and drug and alcohol use combined, and 92% occur in low- and middle-income countries
More than all deaths combined from wars, terrorism, AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and drug and alcohol use. Only on par with those attributable to tobacco. Pollution caused 9 million premature deaths in the world three years ago, according to a report published by the journal ‘The LancetPlanetary Health’. “It’s scary. One in six people on the planet dies from environmental causes, from air, water, and soil pollution,” Rachael Kupka, co-author of the study and director of the Global Alliance for Health and Against Pollution, told this newspaper. GAHP), organization formed by countries, supranational entities, NGOs and academic institutions.
The report underlines that in 2019 there was practically the same number of pollution victims as in 2015. Between those two years, there was a reduction in deaths associated with extreme poverty – water and air pollution in homes – but an increase in those attributable to industrial activity, environmental pollution and chemical substances. Of the 9 million deaths in 2019, 6.67 million were caused by air pollution; 1.36 million, for water; and 1.8 million to toxic substances, of which 900,000 corresponded to lead. Deaths attributable to toxic substances have increased by 66% since 2000, the researchers point out.
A loss of 6.2% of global GDP
The authors report that in the last five years “little” has been done against pollution in low- and middle-income countries, which account for 92% of deaths. Most of the rich have tried to control the worst forms of pollution, but the same has not happened in developing countries and, furthermore, the fight against pollution has not been included in international aid plans. In the affected countries, there is a lack of human and material resources, but in many cases there is also “a lack of knowledge of the real scale of the problem” despite its economic impact. Pollution deaths accounted for a loss of 4.6 trillion dollars in 2019, 6.2% of global GDP, most of them in low- and middle-income countries.
The lack of a firm policy against this threat contrasts with the measures taken against the pandemic, which has killed 6 million people in two years, two-thirds of the victims of contamination in one year. “If we had made decisions to prevent deaths from pollution with the same forcefulness as against the coronavirus, there would have been fewer deaths, but those who should make those decisions have not done so,” laments Kupka.
A group of children play among the rubbish on the banks of a river in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia. /
The researcher believes that the differences in management are due to the fact that “humans are very good at dealing with immediate risks such as a pandemic”, but not when it comes to dealing with problems that seem more distant in time, although really are not, such as pollution and climate change. “The United Nations Environment Program considers that there are three emergencies that we have to deal with: climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution,” she recalls.
threat without borders
Pollution is “a threat that transcends borders,” warns Kupka. Atmospheric circulation, for example, transports pollution from East Asia to North America, Europe and the Arctic. “In addition, pesticide residues and heavy metals can reach other countries in imported food. In the United States, for example, we are finding heavy metals in baby food from major companies,” says the researcher, who recalls that lead affects children’s intellectual development. The West disposes of some of its technological waste by exporting it to poor countries, where it also arrives from the rich “used cars that do not meet environmental standards” and second-hand electronic devices that are not recycled properly.
“Pollution remains the greatest existential threat to human and planetary health, endangering the sustainability of modern societies. Its prevention can also curb climate change, achieving a double benefit for the health of the planet, “says pediatrician and epidemiologist Philip Landrigan, co-author of the study and director of the Global Public Health Program and Global Pollution Observatory at Boston College. “Pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss are closely related. Successful control of these joint threats requires a formal science-policy interface with global support to inform intervention, influence research, and guide funding,” says Kupka. The authors advocate a massive and rapid transition from fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy sources.
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