Jayadeba Sahoo
(jayadeba.sahoo@rgu.ac.in)
Earth is my mother, and I am her child.– Atharva Veda 12.1.12
The Earth is my mother, and I am her child!” — Atharva Veda (12.1.12)
This Vedic hymn to the Earth, “The Prithvisukta”, in the Atharvaveda is unquestionably the oldest and most evocative environmental invocation. The first Hindu Declaration on Climate Change was adopted by spiritual leaders at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Melbourne, Australia, and cautions “Rapacious exploitation of the planet [has] caught up with us,” it warns. “A radical change in our relationship with nature is no longer an option. It is a matter of survival. We cannot destroy nature without destroying ourselves.”
Nature’s wrath is currently wreaking havoc on the entire planet. This situation is not only proving to be detrimental for the human race, but it is also causing severe harm to other sentient species. This undesirable state of affairs is largely caused by human beings, who have broken the cosmic laws and caused environmental degradation to an unprecedented level. All human efforts to preserve nature in the name of planting trees, restraining the use of plastic and opting for eco-friendly products have had little impact on the health of the planet. The need of the hour, therefore, is total change, a wholesome approach, a holistic view, and organismic well-being.
Environmental health is one of the largest fields within public health because of the myriad ways external forces can impact how people eat, live, and grow. These forces can be about addressing our natural environment (as in the case for clean water or sanitation), but they can also be the consequence of human beings' actions.
According to the World Health Organisation, global environmental issues account for more than 12.6 million deaths each year. Along with the issues mentioned, include soil pollution, ultraviolet radiation, and biodiversity loss. According to the data, more than 100 illnesses and injuries can be directly linked to environmental health concerns. Often, these issues have the greatest impact on communities that are poor and already have significant healthcarevulnerabilities.
Climate change – the biggest health threat facing humanity
Climate change is the single biggest health threat facing humanity, and health professionals worldwide are already responding to the health harms caused by this unfolding crisis.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has concluded that to avert catastrophic health impacts and prevent millions of climate change-related deaths, the world must limit temperature rise to 1.5°C. Past emissions have already made a certain level of global temperature rise and other changes to the climate inevitable. Global heating of even 1.5°C is not considered safe; however, every additional tenth of a degree of warming will take a serious toll on people’s lives and health.
Key facts
l Climate change affects the social and environmental determinants of health – clean air, safe drinking water, sufficient food and secure shelter.
l Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress.
l The direct damage costs to health (i.e., excluding costs in health-determining sectors such as agriculture and water and sanitation) are estimated to be between USD 2-4 billion/year by 2030.
l Areas with weak health infrastructure – mostly in developing countries – will be the least able to cope without assistance to prepare and respond.
l Reducing emissions of greenhouse gases through better transport, food and energy-use choices can result in improved health, particularly through reduced air pollution.
At least 155 states recognise their citizens have the right to live in a healthy environment, either through national legislation or international accords. Despite those protections, the World Health Organisation estimates that 23 percent of all deaths are linked to “environmental risks” like land and air pollution, water contamination and chemical exposure.
The last decade was the hottest in human history, and we are already experiencing the impacts of climate change, with wildfires, floods and hurricanes becoming regular events that threaten lives, livelihoods and food security. Climate change also affects the survival of microbes, facilitating the spread of viruses and expanding the range of vectors. If no action is taken, pandemics are likely to occur more frequently, spread more rapidly, have a greater economic impact, and kill more people.
What is Environmental Health?
Environmental health refers to the physical, chemical, biological, and cultural condition of a particular region. Aspects such as poor air quality, loss of ecological diversity, chemical imbalances, etc. affect the environmental health of an area. To advocate for the protection of environmental health, World Environmental Health Day is celebrated on 26th September each year. There are certain indicators of environmental health, which help us to measure the environmental health of any particular region. Here we have shared information about them:
Indicators of Environmental Health?
l Pollution Level
l Ecological diversity
l Availability of drinking water
l Sanitary conditions
l Agricultural output
World Environment Health Day Significance
World Environment Health Day is a significant occasion because this day offers the perfect opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of environmental health. Here are some other reasons why this day is considered important:
l According to the IFEH, this day will help global leaders to collectively meet the UN SDGs because the idea of this day is closely linked to the SDGs.
l Celebrating World Environmental Health Day can help encourage budding world leaders to advocate for environmental conservation.
l This day helps people realise that the future of mankind and our planet depends heavily on how we care for environmental health.
A primary activity of any public health strategy is information sharing. By understanding what the risks are, environmental health professionals can better deploy resources to protect everyone’s health each and every day.
We look forward to the various activities and events that can be developed around this year’s theme, and if there are any further developments from the IFEH, they will be communicated to promote the World Environmental Health Day (WEHD).
Inception:
The World Environmental Health Day was first officially held on 26 September 2011. It was launched by the Council of the International Federation of Environmental Health (IFEH) – an organisation established in 1986 and based in London, England, aiming to disseminate knowledge about environmental health among people and promote cooperation between countries to improve the environmental situation of our Earth.
In 2011, the IFEH Council declared, at its meeting in Indonesia, that “26th September 2011 be deemed the foundational World Environmental Health Day”. Since then, 26 September of each year has been earmarked to celebrate as World Environmental Health Day with a particular theme focusing on an environmental health issue worldwide. This day was designated to promote the message of caring for environmental health for the welfare of the planet as well as of mankind. One of the main aims of this day is to help the globe meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. World Environment Health Day is not just about advocating for the protection of environmental health. It is also about realising the impact and relation of environmental health on human health.
The focus of this year’s World Environmental Health Day (WEHD) was to promote awareness and action on the impact of clean air on public health, addressing air pollution, climate change, and respiratory diseases.
And next, through case studies, workshops, school activities, press and other mechanisms, evidence the role of environmental health in improving air quality and protecting people’s health.
As always, the WEHD can be used on all topics that are relevant in terms of environmental health that is relevant in your local or regional part of the world.
Climate-sensitive Health Risks
Climate change is already impacting health in a myriad of ways, including by leading to death and illness from increasingly frequent extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, storms and floods; the disruption of food systems; increases in zoonoses and food-, water- and vector-borne diseases; and mental health issues. Furthermore, climate change is undermining many of the social determinants for good health, such as livelihoods, equality and access to health care and social support structures. These climate-sensitive health risks are disproportionately felt by the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, including women, children, ethnic minorities, poor communities, migrants or displaced persons, older populations, and those with underlying health conditions.
Our Planet, Our Health
Our environment provides the fundamental requirements for life: clean air and water, safe food, and shelter. Nature is both the origin of infectious and vector-borne diseases and the source of medicines, including many antibiotics. Human impact on the environment is increasing the risk of emerging infectious diseases in humans, over 60% of which originate from animals, mainly from wildlife. Reducing biodiversity may also increase disease transmission.
Healthier Environments Support Healthier People
“Improving our natural and built environments, where we live, work, learn and play, can bring both immediate and long-term benefits for our health and well-being.” Tobacco use has broad environmental consequences beyond the devastation of tobacco-caused diseases. Tobacco growing destroys trees and damages soil, and tobacco manufacturing produces toxic waste. Its use pollutes the air and the surfaces inside our homes. Cigarette butts and other tobacco waste poison marine life, contaminate beaches and waterways, and foul our urban living spaces.
The growing severity and frequency of climate-related disasters is a matter of survival for the most climate-vulnerable countries. As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report highlights, climate change is impacting food security and agricultural production and causing severe water scarcity for at least half of the world’s population.
Humanity is on the edge. But, as the IPCC Report makes clear, if we take urgent action now, we can prevent widespread death and destruction and secure a liveable future. For this reason, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres has set out an all-hands-on-deck Acceleration Agenda “to massively fast-track climate efforts by every country and every sector and on every timeframe.” Deepening emission cuts is an essential pillar of this, alongside scaling up action on adaptation to climate change and against losses and damages.
The solution is an
eco-friendly lifestyle.
“Treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your parents. It was loaned to you by your children.” This quoted Kenyan proverb aptly marks the pungent need of the hour, i.e., ‘sustainable development’ and ‘eco-friendly living style’. Eco-friendly, or ‘going green’, is the latest way of life. ‘Eco-friendly’ refers to those goods and services which are considered to have negligible or no harm on the environment.
According to the various scientific studies, the natural resources would soon deplete completely. And the result will be no power and a total blackout and collapse of the sophisticated lifestyle and activities of mankind. Not only the depletion of natural resources but also awareness about the environmental degradation has led the society to look for alternative resources which are both eco-friendly and renewable at the same time.
In a bid to save the environment, more and more people are opting for eco-friendly goods and services. There are a host of eco-friendly goods and services available these days. To save non-renewable resources, alternative resources of renewable energy are being used. Hydropower, solar energy, biomass energy, geothermal energy, oceanic energy, etc., are being used, as they all are natural, eco-friendly and renewable sources of energy.
dasa kupa sama vapi, dasavapi samohnadra?.
dasahnada sama? putro?, dasaputro samo dramu?.
One stepwell is equal to ten wells, one pond is equal to ten stepwells, one son is equal to ten ponds and one tree is equal to ten sons.
Mother Earth is celebrated for all her natural bounties and particularly for her gifts of herbs and vegetation. Her blessings are sought for prosperity in all endeavours and fulfilment of all righteous aspirations.
We can all take actionable steps as individuals to help improve our environmental health. Here are just a few things you can do to help.
1. Reduce your carbon footprint
You can drastically reduce the amount of carbon you contribute to the atmosphere by choosing methods of travel other than a car or aeroplane. If possible, reduce your carbon footprint by walking to work or riding your bike.
2. Reduce, reuse, recycle
The world is densely populated with industrial factories that pump harmful CO2 into the environment. Support the health of your environment by reusing the items you have and recycling wherever possible.
3. Grow your own fruits and vegetables.
By learning how to grow your own food, you will learn valuable life skills. It is also therapeutic and a great avenue of self-care.
With this growing wellness trend, you'll simultaneously advocate for your health and your environment.
4. Be conscious of the products you use.
Many of the products we use were made in factories that exploit both humans and the environment. You can choose to fight against this by being more intentional about your products.
Contribute to Environmental Health for Your Well-Being
Nationwide “Swachhta Hi Seva Abhiyan 2024” is being observed from September 14th, 2024, to October 1st, 2024, on the theme of Swabhav Swachhata – Sanskar Swachhata. We cannot rely on governments alone to act, however. Each one of us has a part to play in reducing climate pollution by changing our inner and outer behaviour. As Mahatma Gandhi posited, “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. We need not wait to see what others do.” Maintaining a healthy relationship with the environment is key to unlocking a stable, thriving future for all living things. Even though we may sometimes feel our efforts are inconsequential, every small behavioural change made for environmental justice contributes to the greater good of humanity.
Climate change creates pain, suffering, and violence. Unless we change how we use energy, how we use the land, how we grow our crops, how we treat other animals, and how we use natural resources, we will only further this pain, suffering, and violence. On a personal basis, we can reduce this suffering by beginning to transform our habits, simplifying our lives and material desires, and not taking more than our reasonable share of resources. Adopting a plant-based diet is one of the single most powerful acts that a person can take in reducing environmental impact. In doing all of this, we help maintain the ecological and cosmic order, an order that allows life and existence to flourish.
(BK Prof. Jayadeba Sahoo, Faculty, Brahma Kumaris, RERF & Professor (Ex-Dean & Head), Faculty of Education, Rajiv Gandhi (Central))