World Health Organization (WHO) shows a new mark that the damaging of broken environment is all around us. The recent report by WHO said, about a quarter of all the deaths overseas in the year 2012 were only caused by curable environment factors like air, soil, water pollution and climate change.

According to the report, these environmental risk factors led to 12.6 million deaths out of a total 55.6 million. The report said, “Environmental risks take their greatest toll on young children and older people, with children under five and adults aged 50 to 75 years most affected,”

Importantly, 2/3 of these or approx 8.2 million deaths were from NCDs(non-communicable diseases) which is dogmatic to air pollution like strokes ,cancers and heart diseases. Children mostly suffer from lower respiratory infection and diarrheal diseases while older people are affected by NCDs.

Dr Margaret Chan(director general of WHO) said, “A healthy environment underpins a healthy population. If countries do not take actions to make environments where people live and work healthy, millions will continue to become ill and die too young.”

The report added, “The actual share of deaths attributable to the Environment is most likely somewhere in the range of 13 to 34 per cent,”

Maria Neira “There’s an urgent need for investment in strategies to reduce environmental risks in our cities, homes and workplaces,”