Nearly one fifth of dengue cases in Latin America and the Caribbean, or about 45 million infections a year, are attributable to climate change, in the past decade, according to a new study by researchers at Harvard and Stanford Universities. Rising temperatures combined with mosquito species uniquely suited to sprawling urbanization and deforestation are fueling […] Continue reading ->
LAHORE, Pakistan – Capital of the agriculturally rich Punjab Province, Lahore, has been engulfed in intense smoke for nearly a month. The government closed schools in Lahore and parts of the province on 7 November but even though they reopened a few weeks later, air pollution has remained at record, hazardous levels throughout the region. […] Continue reading ->
BAKU – The World Health Organization and United Nations Climate Conference (COP29) host, Azerbaijan, issued a joint call to countries on Wednesday to adopt more “healthy'” Nationally Determined Commitments (NDCs) in their next set of plans for climate action. The next NCDs are due to be submitted in early 2025. But as carbon dioxide (CO2) […] Continue reading ->
DELHI, INDIA – North India’s air quality index (AQI) is rising sharply, having already crossed 300 in parts of the region, indicating “very poor” levels. And it is expected to worsen as winds shift towards Delhi and farmers intensify their autumnal practice of burning crop waste. The sharp seasonal increases have come yet again this […] Continue reading ->
Royda Joseph, a 32-year-old mother of three lives in a community next to the PuguKinyamwezi dump in Tanzania. “The dump is on fire every two days,” Royda told the UK NGO TearFund. “Sometimes, when it is on fire, the smoke is so dark and huge that you can’t see the person in front of you […] Continue reading ->
New Delhi’s decades-old regime to control vehicular pollution, including a heavy reliance by commercial vehicles on compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel, has been challenged by a new study by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). The report upends the narrative the that CNG is a ‘clean’ fuel, pointing to its high level of health-damaging […] Continue reading ->
Indian doctors held a 24-hour national strike over the weekend to protest the rape and murder of a young female doctor in a hospital in Kolkata, demanding better protection for health workers. Around one million health workers were estimated to have supported the strike. Some junior doctors remain on strike, saying that they will not […] Continue reading ->
Humans are ingesting and inhaling more microplastics than at any time in recorded history, a Cornell University study revealed. The research shows microplastic consumption has risen sixfold globally since 1990, with Asian, African, and American countries all experiencing increases. People in China and the United States are among those consuming record levels of tiny plastic […] Continue reading ->
As more avian flu cases are detected across the Asia-Pacific region, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is calling for “regional efforts to combat a rise” of the disease. Over the past year, highly pathogenic avian influenza clades, especially H5N1, have gained ground globally, infecting an increasing number of species, including poultry, dairy cows, and […] Continue reading ->
Nearly half of the world’s population suffers from some form of neurological condition ranging from simple migraines to Alzheimers. And yet in low-income countries, more than 75% of people needing neurological treatment cannot access care, according to a new World Health Organization report released on Tuesday, World Brain Day. The treatment gap – the difference […] Continue reading ->