The 7th of April marks the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1948. In accordance with the core ethos of WHO, the anniversary is used to draw attention to a specific global health topic.
This year, in the wake of the Covid pandemic, the climate crisis and a worldwide rise in diseases, the theme for World Health Day 2022 is ‘Our Planet, Our Health‘.
“WHO estimates that more than 13 million deaths around the world each year are due to avoidable environmental causes.”
Plastics and polluting chemicals have been found at the bottom of oceans and spread throughout rivers. These plastics ravage whole ecosystems, destroying plants, harming animals, and have found their way into the food chain, leading to a rise in certain cancers.
WHO, also, reports that 90% of people breathe unhealthy air as a result of the burning of fossil fuels. This has the secondary effect of raising global temperatures, seeing an increase in mosquitoes, and the spread of diseases like malaria.
It is the social, political and financial decisions of governments and big businesses that create and maintain these crises.
This places the responsibility on us as citizens of this planet. Yet, more optimistically, this means that we have the power to redress these crises.
By making a shift to being fuel-free, using biodegradable and eco-friendly materials, and going plant-based, we can improve health and guarantee our planet’s future.
Nations and communities need to recognise that we are able to avert the climate crisis and raise the well-being of all persons.
PLEDGE TODAY and Protect our Planet and our Health.
