Sustainable development is the buzzword for the environment and development. Researchers have discussed the different parts of sustainable development and how they work together. Some areas and connections have been given more attention, while others have been left alone.
One of these is environment and health. Climate change is bad for health, and most people in developing countries are already trying to get by in an environment that is getting worse. Most poor and disadvantaged people aren’t able to adjust to their situations, but others are forced to. It is the opposite of development, which is good for the long term. The ultimate goal of sustainable development can only be reached if even the poorest people, who don’t have the most basic sanitary needs, have access to the most basic health interventions.
At this point, it is important to clearly distinguish between “environmental health” and the health effects of social and economic growth. Environmental health refers to the efforts and projects that are done to make the environment better for people’s health. Some of the health effects of development are the effects of environmental degradation caused by development processes like deforestation, urbanization, and irrigation. These effects can also be considered side effects of social and development changes.
Even now, a big part of the world’s population cannot access basic environmental conditions, which is a shame. They don’t have enough clean water for drinking and enough places to throw away human waste. Also, they are exposed to pollutants like lead, industrial waste, pesticides, food that isn’t protected, and cooking fuels that pollute the air inside. The first step toward sustainable development must ensure everyone has these basic facilities.
Researchers have been trying for a long time to bring attention to the direct and indirect health effects of these changes and to convince policymakers and implementing organizations to insist on making the right changes to limit the adverse health effects. Vayam (www.Vayam.org.in) is working at the forefront to demystify the linkage and establish clear intersection across the environment and health.
Vayam envisions an order with equal opportunities to ensure wellbeing of everyone with a special focus on marginalized communities
