The theme for World Health Day 2022 is Our Planet, Our Health. In the midst of a pandemic, a polluted planet, increasing diseases like cancer, asthma, heart disease, this year’s theme aims to bring attention on the urgent actions needed to keep humans and the planet healthy and foster a movement to create societies focused on well-being.
WHO estimates that more than 13 million deaths around the world each year are due to avoidable environmental causes. This includes the climate crisis which is the single biggest health threat facing humanity. The climate crisis is also a health crisis.
Air pollution, on the other hand, is considered to be the single greatest environmental risk to human health. It is one of the main avoidable causes of death and disease globally, and yet it kills an estimated seven million people worldwide each year.
Healthy societies rely on well-functioning ecosystems to provide clean air, fresh water, medicines and food security. These help to limit disease and stabilize the climate. Meanwhile, the main sources of air pollution and greenhouse gases are often the same. Most actions to improve air quality can also help fight climate change.
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