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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

75 Percent

In Minnesota and Saudi Arabia mask use is 76 percent and 75 percent, respectively

Mask Use in MN and Saudi Arabia Mask Use in MN and Saudi Arabia

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

$5.7

Health costs from ambient air pollution, trillions

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

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Environment
A man wearing a face mask rides a bicycle on a bridge in front of the financial district of Pudong covered in smog during a polluted day in Shanghai, China on November 22, 2017.

How Does China's Pollution Control Shed Light on Its Pathogen Control?

by Yanzhong Huang - January 28, 2021

The zealous pursuit of pollution or pathogen control is built into a top-down, state dominated policy structure

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

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

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

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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
Environment

The Kids Are (Not) Alright

by Kevin O’Rourke, Katherine Leach-Kemon, Theo Vos

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

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
Environment

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

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