MUMBAI, India – Air pollution and heat are much worse together for human health than each of them alone, said Dr Soumya Swaminathan, former chief scientist at the World Health Organization, speaking at this week’s Mumbai Climate Week (MCW). Heat and air pollution were among the key regional priorities during the three-day event that brought […] Continue reading ->
Breathing in air with high levels of pollution worsens a range of serious mental health conditions, such as schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety disorders, according to emerging research. A 2026 study, published in the journal Environmental Research, reviewed 25 existing studies on air pollution’s impact on anxiety disorders and found that while long-term exposure is the […] Continue reading ->
Monsanto has reached a provisional $7.25 billion settlement with US law firms representing clients who claim that exposure to its pesticide, Roundup, caused them to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). The settlement was filed in the St Louis Circuit Court in Missouri on Tuesday and still needs court approval, according to an announcement from Bayer, which […] Continue reading ->
It’s a cold winter morning in Davos, but the pictures on the screen are aglow with warmth – a 100-year-old man cuddling an infant; ancient women with faces wrinkled in laughter; aged men sharing a flask of local red wine; and an extended family gathered around a Mediterranean meal of chickpeas, cheeses, salads and seafood. […] Continue reading ->
Extreme heat will rise rapidly as the 1.5°C threshold is crossed, potentially causing half the world’s population to live in extreme heat by 2050, Shiny, glass-facade buildings are a symbol of modernisation and growth, but such buildings are dangerously vulnerable in a rapidly warming world, as they trap solar heat and will face much greater […] Continue reading ->
Hailed as the “single largest deregulatory action in US history,” the Environmental Protection Agency repealed a 2009 scientific decision that gave the agency the authority to regulate climate change pollutants, also known as the Endangerment Finding. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has eliminated the scientific finding that determined planet warming gases also harm human […] Continue reading ->
Ukraine and its front-line allies unleashed a storm of criticism over Russia’s relentless attacks on Ukraine’s energy and health infrastructure in WHO’s Executive Board meeting Wednesday – condemning the Russian Federation for “weaponizing winter to make cities go dark, hospitals fail and civilians suffer.” “Russia is systematically attacking healthcare and the civilian lifelines it depends […] Continue reading ->
A dispute over technology transfer rights pushed the World Health Organization (WHO) to delay its Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) for further informal talks. Instead, the Executive Board approved a compromise drafted by Nepal and Ethiopia on Wednesday to reopen negotiations on intellectual property, specifically regarding “voluntary and mutually agreed technology transfers.” This […] Continue reading ->
A new initiative that aims to measure and promote the inclusion of “brain capital” as an economic indicator was launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos last week. Advocates for the Global Brain Economy initiative, and a companion Global Brain Capital Index argue that using brain health as a development indicator can help spur […] Continue reading ->
The world has entered the era of “global water bankruptcy” as water systems relied on by six billion people, and half of the world’s food production, are pushed beyond the point of recovery, a United Nations (UN) report has found. The report marks the first time UN scientists have declared water systems “bankrupt” rather than […] Continue reading ->