health

A new report suggests poorest communities are most negatively affected by dangerous air quality

A new initiative to protect people living in small island developing states from the health impacts of climate change has been launched. The World Health Organisation (WHO), in collaboration with the UN and the COP23 Fijian Presidency, said the vision is to have health systems that are resilient to climate change by 2030. They also […]

Global pollution is controllable and avoidable through political leadership, high-level commitments and local action. That’s according to a new report launched today by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which says more needs to be done by governments, business and citizens to reduce the negative impacts of the problem, especially on the poor and vulnerable. […]

The natural environment and its plants are helping to tackle pollution, improve health and save money. That’s according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which suggests the planet itself is playing a vital role in fighting the pollution caused by carbon-intensive transport and power generation. The ONS estimates around £1 […]

Canada has set new regulations to reduce emissions from the oil and gas industry and achieve cleaner economic growth. The country’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna, said the new rules would form part of the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change, which aims to reduce methane emissions by 40% to 45% by 2025. […]

Cancelling new coal plants in Asia could save 50,000 lives a year. According to new research from the University of Harvard and Greenpeace, the death toll from coal pollutants could rise from the current annual figure of 20,000 to 70,000 by 2030 if plants being planned or built in South East Asia, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan go […]

Air pollution in Europe has decreased since the turn of the millennium but stronger measures are needed. That’s according to a new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA), which studied air quality trends from 2000 to 2014. Although the average amount of harmful particulate matter (PM) fell in 75% of monitored locations over the […]

The NHS and the wider health sector could save £414 million per year by 2020. That’s if they cut a further one million tonnes of carbon emissions annually during the same period, according to a new report by the Sustainable Development Unit (SDU). Its ‘Securing Healthy Returns’ research said areas such as disease prevention, waste, new […]

Air pollution could cost economies $2.6 trillion (£1.7tn) annually by 2060. That’s 1% of global GDP, according to a report by OECD. It estimates global economic output will equate to around $330 (£224) per person as annual healthcare costs related to pollution could rise from $21 billion (£14.2bn) last year to $176 billion (£119.6bn) in […]

Wind energy in the US helped the public health sector save $7.3 billion in 2015. That’s according to the American Wind Energy Association said (AWEA), which claims the renewable source helped reduce a number of health-harming pollutants. Wind power cut around 132 million metric tonnes of carbon emissions – equivalent to those emitted by 28 million cars. It also […]