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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
U.S. school systems are stuck between two bad choices. A classroom chair rests between two dismantled water fountains at Edmondson Westside High School in Baltimore, Maryland, on April 28, 2020. The photo shows a red chair in a beige-colorored hallway where two porticos feature white porcelain basins now dry for the pandemic. REUTERS/Tom Brenner

The Kids Are (Not) Alright
by Kevin O’Rourke, Katherine Leach-Kemon, Theo Vos - August 21, 2020

Analyzing the evidence against—and in support of—reopening schools during COVID-19

Environment
A tattered U.S. flag damaged in Hurricane Harvey, flies in Conroe, Texas, on August 29, 2017. The photo shows a torn U.S. flag blowing against a dark grey sky. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

Hurricanes, Pandemics, Floods, Frail Systems, and Failed Responses

by Hannah Todd, Justin Onwenu

Imagining a post-Harvey, post-Irma, post-Hanna, post-COVID-19 world of pandemics, natural disasters, and U.S. resiliency

Environment
Residents walk along a house on a flooded street heading to a shelter ahead of the expected landfall of the "super cyclone" Amphan, in the Dacope of Khulna district, Bangladesh, on May 20, 2020. Photo shows two people walking and hanging on to a building as they navigate the flooded streets. AFP/Munir uz Zaman via Getty Images

Family Affair: Coronavirus and the Climate Crisis

by Gaurab Basu, Samir Chaudhuri

In the Bay of Bengal, where Cyclone Amphan collided with COVID-19, a glimpse of why we need environmental sustainability

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Residents walk along a house on a flooded street heading to a shelter ahead of the expected landfall of the "super cyclone" Amphan, in the Dacope of Khulna district, Bangladesh, on May 20, 2020. Photo shows two people walking and hanging on to a building as they navigate the flooded streets. AFP/Munir uz Zaman via Getty Images
Environment

Family Affair: Coronavirus and the Climate Crisis

by Gaurab Basu, Samir Chaudhuri

In the Bay of Bengal, where Cyclone Amphan collided with COVID-19, a glimpse of why we need environmental sustainability

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?