Biennium Report 2022–2023 Department of Healthier Populations and Noncommunicable Diseases (HPN)
26 February 2024
| Report
Overview
Human health and well-being are intimately linked to the state of the environment. Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), climate change, air pollution and exposure to hazardous chemicals are major causes of environment-related burden of disease across the world. In the WHO South-East Asia Region, almost a quarter of all deaths are attributable to the health impacts of environmental hazards. Air pollution is the leading cause of deaths from environmental risks and is a leading contributor to the NCD epidemic. Meanwhile, climate change poses the single most important threat to human health, the regional economy, livelihoods and the natural environment across the Region, which records the highest number of deaths from climate change annually among all WHO regions. People living and working in polluted environments, especially women and children, are disproportionally affected. Moreover, the large informal workforce in industries ranging from waste recycling to mining continues to compound illness and death from environmental and occupational hazards.
WHO Team
Healthier Populations & Non-Communicable Diseases,
Non-Communicable Diseases,
SEARO Regional Office for the South East Asia (RGO),
WHO South-East Asia
Editors
World Health Organization. Regional Office for South-East Asia
Number of pages
85
Reference numbers
ISBN: 978-92-9021-120-4
Copyright
