6th UNEP Outlook - Already, 1/4 Of All Premature Deaths Globally Caused By Pollution, Climate Stress

Because of a dangerous combination of climate change, pollution, mass extinctions and a growing human population, a massive report from the United Nations released Wednesday said that "damage to the planet is so dire that people’s health will be increasingly threatened unless urgent action is taken."

Already, about 25 percent of all premature deaths and diseases around the world – about 9 million in 2015 – are because of human-caused environmental damage and pollution, the report said. Each year, air pollution kills 7 million people worldwide and costs society about $5 trillion. Another 1.4 million are killed because of water pollution.

The report, the sixth Global Environment Outlook from the U.N. Environment Programme, was written by 250 scientists and experts from more than 70 countries. It concludes that “unsustainable human activities globally have degraded the Earth’s ecosystems, endangering the ecological foundations of society.”

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In this 2017 file photo, motorists ride through a thick blanket of smog and dust on the outskirts of New Delhi, India, with microscopic particles spiking at times to 75 times the level considered safe by the World Health Organization. (Photo: Altaf Qadri, AP)

The United Nations warns that the top two environmental concerns are climate change and biodiversity: In regards to climate change, the report said time is running out to prevent its irreversible and dangerous impacts as global temperatures continue to rise. As for biodiversity loss, the report said "a major species extinction event, compromising planetary integrity and Earth’s capacity to meet human needs, is unfolding." This threatens ecosystems, fisheries and other major systems.

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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/03/13/un-environment-report-warns-human-health-increasingly-threatened/3150519002/