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Environment

Pollution kills nine million people each year and sickens many more, mostly in poorer nations. The global health effects of climate change are not well quantified today and are likely to increase in the future, with lower-income countries again bearing the brunt of greater food insecurity, increased rates of chronic respiratory illnesses, and shifts in vector-borne diseases. This section explores the global health nexus between climate change and pollution and the possibilities for a more coherent policy approach to these issues.

Environment

$5.7

Health costs from ambient air pollution, trillions

Health costs from ambient air pollution, trillions Health costs from ambient air pollution, trillions

9M

Premature deaths caused by pollution, in 2015

Premature deaths caused by pollution, in 2015 Premature deaths caused by pollution, in 2015

8

Of the hottest years on record were in last decade

Of the hottest years on record were in last decade Of the hottest years on record were in last decade

118.4

Temperature (°F) in New Delhi amid 2019 heat wave

Temperature (°F) in New Delhi amid 2019 heat wave Temperature (°F) in New Delhi amid 2019 heat wave

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Environment
Factories emit smoke in Jilin province, China, across the Songhua River from where an elderly man exercises on the morning of Feb 24, 2013, after Chinese authorities announced plans to curb pollution. The photo shows the man in the foreground, back to the camera, with buildings on the other side of the river pouring out smoke. REUTERS/Stringer

What to do About Type 2
by Katherine Leach-Kemon, Theo Vos - February 4, 2020

Aging, obesity, and poor diet are driving the diabetes epidemic worldwide—and so is air pollution

Environment
Parched land is pictured around the Lake Wegnia, in Sahel region of Koulikoro, Mali on November 22, 2019. Picture Shows a lonely tree, small and scrubby with many of its branches dead. It’s in a dry gully with a few other green scrubby bushes scattered in the frame—but mostly nothing but dry yellow dirt and sand everywhere the eye can see off into the distance. REUTERS/Arouna Sissoko

Weathering the Sahel

by Natalie M. Cormier

The overuse of land packs a punch that promises to get worse over time

Environment
A weather vane is pictured on a ranch during the Creek Fire in the San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles, in Sylmar, California on December 5, 2017. Picture shows a thin metal toy-like vain with a plane, and arrow and a “NESW” directional indicator silhouetted against a burning fire. REUTERS/Jonathan Alcorn

Wildfires, Air Quality, and the Risk of Lung Diseases

by Christopher Troeger

Respiratory diseases caused by invisible "PM2.5" particles released by wildfires are a significant health risk to people

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A mural warns residents of the danger of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak on the Navajo reservation, in Shiprock, New Mexico, U.S., April 8, 2020. Picture shows an amazing mural of a man wearing a mask painted on the side of a wall. REUTERS/Andrew Hay
Environment

Coronavirus in the Navajo Nation—From Charity to Solidarity

by Jack Fukushima, Abhi Kole, Sangeeta Tripathi, Cristina Rivera Carpenter, Sriram Shamasunder 

Why we need to re-center the narrative around working with indigenous peoples in the Navajo Nation and other communities

Migrant workers, who were stranded in the western state of Gujarat due to a government lockdown, inside a train as they leave for their homes in Ahmedabad, India, on May 2, 2020. The image shows a bright red train with people inside and a woman walking by the train outside. REUTERS/Amit Dave
Environment

The Trillion-Dollar Question With COVID-19

by Luke Shors, Michael Ferrari

How significant is climate on coronavirus transmission?

A Samoan beach before the coronavirus crisis—pictured on June 2, 2017 in Saleapaga, Samoa after New Zealand Prime Minister announced a $5.15 million aid package to help boost Samoa's tourism industry. The picture shows a tropical beach in Somoa with gorgeous palm trees and grass huts. GETTY Images/Phil Walter
Environment

Coronavirus in Samoa

by Nicola Hawley

Serendipitous twist of a tragic 2019 measles outbreak may have left small island nation unusually prepared for COVID-19