Almost 70% of the 4.2 million deaths attributed to ambient (outdoor) air pollution in 2019 were caused by cardiovascular diseases, notably ischaemic heart disease (1.9 million deaths) and stroke (900,000 deaths), according to a new report by the World Heart Federation (WHF). The report highlights the outsized impacts air pollution is having on the worldwide […] Continue reading ->
The COVID pandemic has wiped off a decade of steady gain in life expectancy at birth and healthy life expectancy at birth (HALE), according to the World Health Statistics 2024 report by the World Health Organization (WHO). In the light of the findings the world health body has urged countries to redouble their efforts towards […] Continue reading ->
Heatwaves across Asia this April that sent temperatures soaring above 40℃ were made hotter and more likely by human-induced climate change, according to an analysis by an international team of leading climate scientists from the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group. The group has done more than 70 studies on a range of extreme weather events […] Continue reading ->
In 2023, nearly 282 million people – 21.5% of the analysed population across 59 countries and territories – faced high levels of acute food insecurity, according to the Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC) 2024. This is 24 million more people than 2022. The rise was due to the report’s increased coverage of food crisis […] Continue reading ->
Over 70% of the world’s workforce faces potential health risks due to climate change, according to the latest report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) released earlier this week. Nearly 1.6 billion outdoor workers are also at risk from high levels of air pollution. “More than 70% of our workers are exposed to excessive heat […] Continue reading ->
PAUD, MAHARASHTRA STATE, INDIA – It is 11:15 on a Wednesday morning, and the March sun is hot but not yet punishing in this part of western India. Mathabai Jadhav, 65, waits patiently for her turn at the Paud Rural Hospital, some 30 kilometres from the city of Pune. At least two dozen patients like […] Continue reading ->
A Phase 3 trial of a tuberculosis vaccine candidate has been launched in South Africa, according to the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute (Gates MRI). The candidate vaccine – referred to as M72/AS01E – “could potentially become the first vaccine to help prevent pulmonary TB in adolescents and adults, the most common form […] Continue reading ->
The sixth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNAE-6) ended last Friday in Nairobi, Kenya with the adoption of a Ministerial Declaration affirming member states’ commitment to slowing climate change, protecting biodiversity, and creating a pollution-free world. The assembly, which attracted over 5,600 delegates from 190 countries, also adopted 15 resolutions covering a range of issues including […] Continue reading ->
The sixth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6), which opened in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Monday, is focusing on multilateral action to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Around a million species are headed towards extinction, global temperature records were smashed in 2023 and pollution remains one of the world’s leading causes of […] Continue reading ->
PUNE, INDIA – Commerce minister Sunil Barthwal has clarified that India will not sign a new trade agreement with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) that would limit access by the country’s thriving generic medicine industry to new drug formulations for critical diseases. India is currently negotiating a new trade deal with the EFTA, which […] Continue reading ->