Tag: human health

Inside The Push To Eliminate Lead From Paint

While many use paint to cover the blemishes on their walls, each coat they apply could end up leaving a stain on the planet. Despite legally binding controls in 87 countries, lead...

Waste Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic: From Response to Recovery

The impact of COVID-19 is transforming the way we live, from one day to the next. While national and local interventions are largely focused on protecting lives and economies, the management of...

How Cities Are Using Nature to Keep Heatwaves at Bay

The more the planet warms, the more cities are finding they need new ways to keep urban temperatures down and protect their residents. Heatwaves are already by far the deadliest weather-related disasters...

10 Things You Should Know About Industrial Farming

There was a time when industrial agriculture seemed to be a panacea for a fast-growing world.  Synthetic fertilizers, chemical pesticides and high-yield cereal hybrids promised to reduce hunger, accommodate growing populations and...

The Next Wave – How to Beat Future Pandemics

Ebola, SARS, Zika, HIV/AIDS, West Nile fever and now COVID-19. These are some of the highest-profile diseases to emerge in the last several decades. And while they emerged in different parts of...

Kigali Amendment Hits Milestone 100th Ratification, Boosting Climate Action

The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, an international agreement to cut the use of climate-warming hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), has reached a major milestone, with Liberia becoming the 100th nation to ratify the...

EU Met Air Pollution Limits for Four Key Pollutants, Including Ammonia, in 2018

In 2018, the European Union met all air pollution limit ceilings set for total emissions of the four key pollutants monitored under EU rules. Emissions of nitrogen oxides and ammonia levelled off...

Good Health is an Environmental Right

The COVID-19 crisis is a reminder of the intimate relationship between humans, animals and the environment. There are several human rights related to the environment- these are our environmental rights. Without clean, safe,...

The Delicate Relationship Between People, Wildlife and the Pathogens

In the past, coronaviruses that circulated in humans caused only mild infections. This changed in 2002, when the SARS-CoV virus presented itself in humans as the disease we now know as SARS....

Waste Management an Essential Public Service in the Fight to Beat COVID-19

With the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic continuing to spread and its impacts upon human health and the economy intensifying day-by-day, governments are urged to treat waste management, including of medical, household and...

Signs and Impacts of Climate Change in Atmosphere, Land and Oceans Are Rising

The tell-tale physical signs of climate change such as increasing land and ocean heat, accelerating sea level rise and melting ice are highlighted in a new report compiled by the World Meteorological...

Walking, Cycling and Public Transport – Greener Mobility Options Than Electric Scooters or Ride-Hailing

The growing use of electric scooters and ride-hailing services is transforming how we move in urban centres — but walking, cycling and public transport remain the best way to improve sustainable mobility...

Why Does Europe Need to Limit Climate Change and Adapt to Its Impacts?

The increased exposure to climate related hazards will differ from region to region across Europe, according to the EEA story map. The background briefing shows examples of selected risks across Europe. It...

Creating Energy and Fighting Waste in Yemen

The humanitarian crisis in Yemen is considered to be among the worst in the world. In 2019, 80 per cent of Yemen’s people were in need—an estimated 24 million people. The 2019 Humanitarian Needs...

PFAS Pollution Is Widespread in Europe but Risks Are Still Poorly Understood

The EEA briefing ‘Emerging chemical risks in Europe — PFAS’ presents an overview of the known and potential risks to human health and the environment in Europe posed by per- and polyfluorinated...

Why Mercury Still Poses Important Threats to Human Health

In July, a 47-year-old woman showed up at the emergency department of her local hospital in Sacramento, California. Her speech was slurred, she couldn’t walk, and she was unable to feel her...

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