New estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) predict a 77% increase in cancer cases globally by 2050. The report points to air pollution as one of the factors driving the expected increase in cancer rates, even though it does not have the same effect on everyone. As a global health watchdog, the WHO rarely has good...
In the weeks leading up to COP28 in Dubai, the world’s largest climate change conference, Cape Town hosted a very different kind of event – Africa Energy Week (AEW) 2023. Billed as the “biggest energy event in Africa”, AEW was a four-day gathering of oil and gas executives, policy-makers, government officials and investors from around...
G20 countries are failing to integrate air pollution into their climate plans, a new study finds. The authors want that fixed at COP28. When we think about the dangers of fossil fuels, we tend to imagine the climate consequences on a grand scale from wildfires to flooding. But there is, of course, a more insidious...
Women living and working in places with higher levels of fine particle air pollution are more likely to get breast cancer than those living and working in less polluted areas. Results of a study looking at the effects of both residential and workplace exposure to air pollution on breast cancer risk will be presented by...
More than 100 species, from frogs to killer whales, contaminated with long-lasting chemicals with serious health effects. More than a hundred species of wildlife found across every continent are contaminated with highly toxic flame retardants, and the pollution is probably responsible for population declines in some species, a new analysis of published research shows. The dangerous chemicals...
Europe is facing a “severe public health crisis”, with almost everyone across the continent living in areas with dangerous levels of air pollution, an investigation by the Guardian has found. Analysis of data gathered using cutting-edge methodology – including detailed satellite images and measurements from more than 1,400 ground monitoring stations – reveals a dire...
In a world facing environmental challenges unprecedented in human history, it’s no surprise that eco-anxiety – a pervasive worry about the current and future state of our planet – has become an increasingly prevalent mental health issue. As people witness the devastating impacts of climate change, deforestation and loss of biodiversity, it’s only natural to feel overwhelmed and disheartened. I happen to live in Phoenix,...
Breathing in polluted air is so harmful, it can actually have a greater impact on humans lifespan than smoking, according to just-released data. The latest report by Air Quality Life Index (AQLI), published on Aug. 29, analysed how fine particulate matter (PM2.5) lingering in the air, such as smoke and dust, has a profound impact on...