By: Hello Doctor Updated 07 Apr 2022, 18: 01 pm EDT
World Health Day is celebrated every April 7 since 1948, the date on which the World Organization was founded of Health (WHO).
This year, under the slogan “Our planet, our health”, the focus is on climate change, its consequences on health and measures that can be taken to improve this situation.
For the World Day of the Health of the 2022 the motto “Our planet, our health” was chosen, and with this it seeks to generate awareness about the consequences for the health that the climate crisis has, and what measures can be taken to combat it.
The WHO classifies climate crises as the greatest threat facing humanity, due to to the fact that each year there are more than 13 million deaths due to preventable environmental causes, among the ones that stand out:
Situation in Latin America and the Caribbean
In addition to the general climate and health crises, each region of the world faces its own challenges, and in Latin America and the Caribbean there are many pending fronts.
For example, less than 15% of wastewater bodies are properly treated, but not in this way 40% of solid waste, so that they contaminate the land and water for human consumption.
In addition, there are still about 85 millions of people who do not have improved sanitation facilities and are forced to defecate in the open or resort to facilities in poor condition, which implies depriving them of their dignity and expose them to multiple dangers.
Hunger is another current problem, since It is estimated that more than 40 million people suffer from hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean, although there are also worrying facts of overweight or obesity, as is the case in Mexico, where it is estimated that up to 40% of the population suffers from these problems.
- Effects of environmental pollution on human beings
Pollution is not an exempt issue either. Only in the Caribbean Sea, between 70 and 85% of the garbage comes from terrestrial activities, and the majority is made up of plastics. It is estimated that each year more than 320 remain uncollected.000 tons of plastic waste.
For this reason, the WHO considers it urgent to implement actions to keep human beings and the planet healthy, promoting a movement to create societies focused on well-being.
What to do to protect the planet and health?
Our health and that of the planet are strongly linked, so the need to create healthy societies is increasingly evident.
It is important to bear in mind that it is our political, social and commercial decisions that favor climate and health crises. However, not all of us have the same responsibilities and impact on the planet, which is why the WHO shares a list of actions that governments, companies and individuals can take to make a difference:
Governments
- Prioritize long-term human well-being and ecological stability in all decisions.
- Prioritize well-being in all business, institutional, social and ecological objectives.
- Keep fossil fuels in the ground. Stop new prospecting and projects related to fossil fuels and apply policies for the production and use of clean energy.
- Stop fossil fuel subsidies. Reinvest these subsidies in public health.
- Tax polluters. Incentivize carbon reduction.
- Apply the WHO Guidelines on air quality.
- Electrify health care facilities with renewable energy.
- Reduce air pollution levels to reduce the burden of disease from stroke, heart disease , lung cancer and both chronic and acute respiratory diseases, including asthma.
- Tax food and highly processed beverages with a high content of salt, sugars and unhealthy fats.
- Apply policies to reduce food waste.
- Redirect agricultural subsidies towards the production of sustainable and healthy food.
- Build cities with green spaces that promote physical activity and mental health.
- Create smoke-free cities and tax tobacco
- Design policies to reduce waste and plastics.
- Integrate mental health and psychosocial support in action and climate policies to better prepare for and respond to the climate crisis.
- Work with community leaders, in particular with representatives of refugees and migrants, in measures to mitigate and adapt to climate change and support initiatives led by refugee and migrant communities at the local level.
- Turn off the lights after the working day
- Support telecommuting where possible.
- Eliminate highly processed and packaged foods from the venue of work.
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their activities.
- Protect, promote and support breastfeeding. Breast milk is a healthy and sustainable food for babies.
- Guarantee workers’ access to water drinking water.
- Health care workers and establishments:
- Support efforts to reduce health care waste.
- Provide local and sustainably grown food and ensure healthy food choices by reducing soft drinks and highly processed and packaged foods in healthcare facilities.
- Decarbonize health facilities.
- Identify opportunities to save energy.
- Guarantee clean and safe water in health facilities.
- Support the purchase of environmentally friendly products that are easily recyclable or reusable.
- Advocate for health to be at the center of climate change policies.
- Promote energy efficient buildings.
- Promote public transport with low carbon emissions.
- Promote the construction of new bike lanes and pedestrian paths.
- Protect biodiversity, create new parks and gardens.
- Adopt renewable energy sources for municipal activities.
- Guarantee that low-income households and health facilities have access to clean and affordable energy.
- Collaborate with the local business community to support sustainability.
- Regulate the marketing of unhealthy food and beverages in public spaces .
- Raise your voice, demand climate action to protect your health.
- Take action and inspire others.
- Walk or bike to work at least one day a week. Choose public transportation.
- Switch to a renewable energy provider, do not heat your rooms above 21,5°C, and turn off the light when you are not in the room.
- Buy fresh food from local producers and avoid highly processed foods and drinks.
- Tobacco is a lethal and polluting product, stop consuming it.
- Buy less plastic, use recyclable shopping bags.
Companies
Mayors
Individuals
Sources consulted : World Health Organization (WHO), Pan American Health Organization (OPS), Colonel Carbo, Jorge and Marzo Páez, Nathaly. Health promotion for the creation of healthy environments in Latin America and the Caribbean.