ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN HEALTH

                    How to Improve Environmental Health

Source: Everyday Health

Water pollution, air pollution, and numerous natural calamities all pose major health risks and must be addressed. 

Every day, we hear about environmental threats. Whether it’s the effects of climate change, deforestation, or pollution, the news cycle is filled with apocalyptic-sounding events. It might be overwhelming and difficult to figure out what it all means. Every aspect of existence is influenced by the environment, which includes everything from the ocean to the forests. The following are 10 importance of environmental health.

1. Improves the Quality and Length of Life.

One of the 10 importance of environmental health is that it improves the quality and length of life. You may not consider how the environment influences people’s lives and careers if you work in an office atmosphere. However, the environment is vital to billions of people. Take, for example, woods. Forests provide food, shelter, medicine, and other benefits to about 1.5 billion people  Many people turn to the woods when their crops fail. Agriculture provides a living for 2 billion people (almost 27% of the world’s population). Another 3 billion people rely on the ocean for their survival. Environmental protection could result in the creation of millions of new jobs and the reduction of poverty.

According to a report by the International Labour Organization, transitioning to greener economies might result in the creation of 24 million additional employment by 2030. Many people believe that transitioning to green energy and more sustainable practices will result in more people falling into poverty, yet if green jobs replace traditional jobs, the opposite is true. This shows that it is no overstatement for improvement in the quality and length of life is one of the 10 importance of environmental health.

When all of the basic requirements for human life, such as food and shelter, are met and maintained, life expectancy and quality improve. The impact of environmental quality on life expectancy in 24 African countries was investigated in one study. The study discovered that increasing the environmental performance index (EPI) and ecosystem vitality (EV) boosted the life expectancy of Africans by 0.137 and 0.1417 years, respectively.

2. Increases Biodiversity and Protects Habita

                                   

One of the 10 importance of environmental health is that it increases biodiversity and protects habitats. More than 20 species were declared extinct in the United States in the year 2021 alone, according to US officials. Biodiversity is essential for the survival of our ecosystems and animal kingdoms. We can better safeguard the organisms and plants around us by raising environmental health awareness.

3. Diverse Environments strengthen Food Security

Strengthening food security is one of the 10 importance of environmental health. The loss of biodiversity has several negative repercussions, one of which is diminished food security. The world’s remaining animal and plant species are becoming increasingly vulnerable to disease and pests as a result of the loss of species. As a result, our diets become less healthful, increasing the risk of diet-related disorders such as heart disease and diabetes. Protecting natural areas such as woods and oceans guarantees that there is enough nourishment for all living things.

4. Disease Risk is Reduced.

Reduction in disease risk is one of the 10 importance of environmental health. We’ve seen the devastating effects that hazardous microorganisms and infections (such as the coronavirus pandemic) can have in the last two years. Environmental health awareness can help to avoid disease outbreaks and lessen the illness burden.

Diseases spread when people encroach on the territory of other animal species. Animals are responsible for over 60% of human infections. Covid-19 is most likely a zoonotic disease (albeit we don’t know which animal it came from), just as diseases like bird and swine flu do. The Bubonic Plague, which wiped out a third of Europe, was caused by bacteria spread by rats and transported by fleas. Providing proper space between us and animals promotes our health.

5.Trees clean the Air

One of the 10 importance of environmental health is that it improves the air quality through the presence of trees.. Air pollution is a big problem in our society. 9 out of 10 people breathe polluted air, which influences their health and lifetime. Developmental delays, behavioral issues, and diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are all possible side effects. Polluted air causes the deaths of 7 million people per year. Trees are very good at filtering pollution. They remove nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide from the air while also releasing oxygen.

6. Children are killed by Unhealthy Environments.

Elimination of child death through an unhealthy environment is one of the 10 importance of environmental health. Every year, environmental factors cause a large number of babies and young mortality. There is a dearth of clean water and clean air, among other issues. Each year, around 1.4 million children die as a result of waterborne illnesses. Healthy conditions and basic rights such as clean air and water are required to save children’s lives.

7. The Environment is a Source of Medication.

Our environment, the source of our medication is one of the 10 importance of environmental health. The great majority of medicines have their roots in nature. Chemicals from the Pacific yew tree, for example, were used to develop two chemotherapeutic medicines. Scientists and pharmaceutical corporations are always looking for new and better medications in the environment. Unfortunately, around 15,000 medicinal plant species are on the verge of extinction, and if they do, mankind will lose access to potentially life-saving medicines.

8. Being in Nature improves Mental Health

Surely nature improves our mental health, that is what makes it one of the 10 importance of environmental health. Mental health is a complicated subject. It’s the effect of genetics, lifestyle, relationships, and the environment, among other things. For years, scientists have examined the impact of nature and green spaces on mental health. Several studies have found a significant benefit.

Green spaces near schools promote cognitive development and better self-control in children, according to a review published in Current Directions in Psychological Science in 2019. Another study published in Science Advances discovered that being in nature is linked to increased pleasure, well-being, and a sense of purpose.

9. Keep Global Warming to a Minimum.

One of the 10 importance of environmental health is that it helps keep global warming at a minimum. We will not be able to avoid the gradual rise in global temperatures. However, there are particular steps we may take to slow things down and discover solutions. Climate change is caused by humans. The authors of the IPCC’s sixth assessment concluded that the recent decade was the hottest in

 human history and that individual weather occurrences can now be linked to human-caused climate change.

The environmental impact of climate change is difficult to overstate. Plants, animals, and humans are all threatened by diseases, droughts, and severe weather occurrences, among other things. The environment will become uninhabitable if fossil fuel emissions are not decreased promptly.

Almost all of the rise in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere over the last 150 years has been caused by human activities. More than one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions in the contemporary era can be traced back to only 20 fossil fuel companies. Organizations may dramatically improve environmental health and lessen their impact on global warming by lowering industrial emissions and waste.

10. Caring for the Environment saves the Planet

In the end, our planet will be saved, this is one of the importance of environmental health. In the face of environmental tragedies and climate change, it’s difficult not to feel despondent. However, we cannot afford to be hopeless, and numerous answers may be implemented now. It will make a difference to protect plant and animal species, conserve healthy green spaces, and reducing emissions. By taking care of the environment, humans can conserve the earth for future generations.

Conclusion

In conclusion, through the 10 importance of environmental health we discussed, we can find that environmental health is no joke, it should be taken very seriously as it affects all facets of our lives. It’s left for you and me to make necessary efforts to improve our environmental health.