What is Pollution?
According to the definition of pollution; it is presence or introduction of harmful substances in the environment (air, water, land or sea) without caring for the results. Unwanted waste of human origin is the damage of ecosystems and the threat to human health. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5), toxic chemicals, plastic waste, industrial residues, all kinds of harmful gases, like ozone, nitrogen oxides are these types of pollutants (Fuller et al., 2022). The problem is global and complex, affecting every corner of the planet, and it has grown immensely with the increases in industrialisation and urbanisation.
Today, pollution has become one of the most serious problems of human health worldwide. The pollution is causing nearly 9 million premature deaths each year across the world, nearly one in six deaths, according to updated data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Air pollution alone accounts for over 6.7 million of these deaths (Fuller et al., 2022). Among other things, pollution sickens the respiratory system, the heart, and the brain; and creates neurological damage and developmental disorders in children and a host of other chronic conditions.
However, pollution doesn’t cast the same burden. The most affected are low and the middle income countries, where they carry more than 90% of the deaths caused by pollution. Despite significant emissions reduction and waste management regulatory efforts by high income nations, most LMICs lack necessary infrastructure, policy framework and low cost financial resources to deal with the issue (Fuller et al., 2022). The fact reveals a deep environmental injustice where vulnerable populations have to suffer high impacts with little or no support or global attention.
Pollution is no longer only a local or national issue–it is a planetary emergency that can not be ignored, it’s beyond border, and needs to be solved globally. These three crises are interconnected, they are Pollution, Climate change and Biodiversity loss (Fuller et al., 2022). Clean energy transitions, chemical regulation, and international cooperation to address pollution are, not only, to protect human health, but also can mitigate climate change and protect ecosystems. Without strong and concerted action, contemporary and future generations’ health and wellbeing is threatened.