Pollution & Health
Air and water pollution are major threats to global health.
In 2019, air pollution caused an estimated 6.7 million deaths worldwide. That same year, access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) could have prevented 1.4 million deaths globally. While air pollution mortality has slightly declined, low-income and vulnerable regions still face the highest risks, especially among children under five.
Insights
Political: Environmental health is often overlooked in health policies, with many national action plans lacking the funding or enforcement needed to be effective.
Economic: Preventable deaths from polluted air and unsafe WASH impose huge costs, especially in low-income countries least equipped to address them.
Social: Children and low-income communities are the most affected, with 395,000 deaths among children under five in 2019 linked to unsafe WASH.
Technological: Clean energy access and affordable WASH infrastructure are proven solutions but remain under-deployed in high-burden areas.
Legal: Weak environmental regulations and enforcement leave many populations exposed to avoidable health risks.
Environmental: Deteriorating air quality and water insecurity, driven by urbanization and climate change, escalate the urgency of environmental health interventions.
Reflective Questions
How might we better integrate environmental health risks into core public health and universal health coverage planning?
What innovations could accelerate clean air and WASH solutions in underserved regions?
How can international financing and legal frameworks be strengthened to reduce preventable environmental mortality?
Related Insight Cards
References:
World Health Organization, n.d. Air pollution data portal. The global health observatory [online database]. Geneva: World Health Organization. Available at: https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/air-pollution
World Health Organization, 2023. Burden of disease attributable to unsafe drinking-water, sanitation and hygiene, 2019 update. Geneva: World Health Organization. Available at: https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/370026
