Plastics are a “grave, growing and under-recognised danger” to people and the planet, causing “disease and death” from infancy to old age, a landmark review has found. The Lancet Plastics Countdown, published as diplomats from around the world arrived in Geneva on Monday for the overtime round of talks on a global plastics treaty, estimates […] Continue reading ->
Delhi and other Indian cities should replace the one-size-fits-all air quality index (AQI) with a city-specific health index focused on premature death risks, a new study recommends. NEW DELHI – Almost three-quarters of the world’s top 100 most-polluted cities are in India, but does its widely used air quality index (AQI) adequately warn people of […] Continue reading ->
The proportion of the world’s population suffering acute hunger declined globally in 2024 to about 673 million people, but continued to rise in most African regions as well as western Asia, according to the new UN State of Food Security and Nutrition (SOFI) report, launched Monday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Global hunger levels have remained […] Continue reading ->
LONDON – Summit it was not as there were no heads of state or even Bill Gates, although the UK’s Minister for Climate Change made a compelling presentation showing the kind of policy leadership starkly absent in the United States. Even so, the recent Climate and Health Summit, hosted by the UK Physiological Society, the […] Continue reading ->
Achieving universal access to clean cooking across Africa will require $37 billion in cumulative investment to 2040, or roughly $2 billion per year, according to the roadmap laid out by the International Energy Agency (IEA) in its latest report. The roadmap envisions that 60% of the energy for the newly connected households will come from […] Continue reading ->
After 2024 became the warmest year on record, with temperatures rising 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels for the first time ever, humanity is “moving into the unknown,” said Andy Haines, professor of environmental change and public health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. “We are now above the Paris Agreement’s preferred target […] Continue reading ->
NEW DELHI – On 11 July, the Indian government changed its own rules, exempting most coal-fired power plants from installing technology to reduce sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions. This reverses a key environmental policy launched in 2015 to cut SO2 emissions. It means that about 78% of India’s 537 or so thermal power plant units do […] Continue reading ->
In 2024, sand and dust storms affected 330 million people across 150 countries taking a toll on health and economies, according to a new report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). While the annual mean dust surface concentrations was slightly lower in 2024 when compared to 2023, there were big regional variations. In the most […] Continue reading ->
NEW DELHI – When drivers entered fuel stations on 1 July, they found bright new warning signs and traffic police positioned at the fuel pumps. Old vehicles would be identified by special, new cameras and denied fuel. Drivers also risked having their vehicles seized for “liquidation.” The day marked the beginning of a widespread campaign […] Continue reading ->
As the world observes World Zoonoses Day, it’s important to remember that human health is intimately tied to the health of animals, wild and domesticated. Five years after COVID-19, the world remains alert to health threats that can cross over from animals to people. Alongside growing concerns over high-profile spillovers like avian influenza, the silent […] Continue reading ->