The Guardian: Global Pollution Threatens Human Survival

Humans tend to ignore threats that are slow emerging or ubiquitous – and pollution is such a threat. “Toxic air, water, soils and workplaces are responsible for the diseases that kill one in every six people around the world,” writes Damian Carrington for the Guardian. He describes a report by the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health. “[T]he true total could be millions higher because the impact of many pollutants are poorly understood. The deaths attributed to pollution are triple those from Aids, malaria and tuberculosis combined.” Fossil fuels, chemicals and industrial emissions contribute the pollution and people in poor country endure the most pollution. The commission argues that unchecked pollution could threaten human survival, and the writers note that research increasingly finds links between pollution and dementia, diabetes, cancer, heart disease and other health problems. The researchers suggest their data may underreport pollution’s impact and conclude that society can no longer afford to avoid addressing the problem or cleanup. Air pollution is worst culprit followed by water pollution. The editor-in-chief of the Lancet concludes that every country in the world is affected. – YaleGlobal