Home/Posts Tagged ‘Health’
Posts Tagged ‘Health’
Politics, Pollution, Jul 15th, 2012,
Recent protests against a giant copper plant planned for the town of Shifang in Sichuan Province, China yielded a victory for the local people against what was seen as a ramming through of a major industrial project by the local and national governments. This was just the latest in a series of victories for local communities in China standing up against what they see as industrial projects that put economic concerns above those of the environment and human health. In recent years similar people power protests have been successful in Dalian, Shanghai and Guangzhou. What characterized the success of the…
Tags: Health, Pollution, protests, Shifang
Climate Change, Oct 18th, 2011,
A series on meetings entitled ‘The Health and Security Perspectives of Climate Change – How to secure our future wellbeing’ was held yesterday in London at the headquarters of the British Medical Association. The view put forth by both human health and military experts at the conference is that climate change is the biggest current threat to both public health and security. Climate change is driving mass migration and resource depletion, both of which can cause and exacerbate armed conflict, as well as the spread of infectious diseases, hunger and malnutrition. Besides the usual urges for national governments to reduce…
Tags: Climate change, conference, Health, security, Tuvalu
Climate Change, Health, Videos & Documentaries, Aug 5th, 2011,
Maps using data on ozone pollution, ragweed and “extreme heat days” in the United States show California to be an especially vulnerable place. The number of unhealthy days in Los Angeles, in particular, is expected to rise in the coming years due to a combination of rising temperatures from climate change, droughts, flooding and pollution. Research shows that rising temperatures can worsen the negative health impacts of pollution and ragweed on respiratory illnesses such as asthma. Los Angeles has smog and ragweed pollen problems and is at risk for at least one unhealthy air quality day per summer, meaning the air…
Tags: California, Climate change, Health, heat, Los Angeles, Pollution, Smog
Health, Politics, Pollution, Jul 25th, 2011,
New York City’s long-serving mayor Michael Bloomberg has a history of highlighting the “public health” aspects of political issues: tobacco, trans-fats, handguns and now coal. Far from a leftist, the pro-business, social liberal, mega-rich philanthropist and media tycoon is neither George Soros nor Silvio Berlusconi, but he’s got a few things in common with both. Bloomberg, once a Democrat, then a Republican and now an Independent, has come out hard against coal. But his latest move is not a political power play – it’s a charitable donation to the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign. A cool $50 million (€35m) charitable…
Tags: Bloomberg, coal, Health, Mayor, New York, NY, Pollution
Climate Change, Health, Pollution, Jun 15th, 2011,
The dirty, low-tech burning of fossil fuels, wood and other biomass produces poisonous pollution and “short-lived climate forcers”, mainly black carbon, methane and ground-level ozone. Black carbon (soot) from sources such as crop burning, dirty diesel engines and simple coal or wood burning stoves causes cardio-pulmonary diseases and low birth weight. UN figures put deaths due to indoor smoke from cooking stoves alone at 1.9 million per year – mostly women and children in developing countries. A study from the University of Delaware states that soot from diesel freight ships contributes to 60,000 deaths from lung disease every year. Ground-level…
Tags: biomass, black carbon, coal, diesel, ground-level ozone, Health, methane, soot, stoves
Climate Change, Pollution, Feb 24th, 2011,
A new UN report concentrates on the warming effects of black carbon (soot) and ground-level ozone like methane. Both are considered “short-lived climate forcers”, which have more immediate effects on temperatures than CO2. Therefore limiting their production would also have a more immediate impact on the climate. In the past this strategy has been largely ignored in favor of plans to limit CO2 emissions, which have so far proved ineffective and lack the immediacy of results that can be so problematic in terms of politics and public opinion. The Guardian reports: Soot is a particular problem because when it falls…
Tags: black carbon, co2, emissions, ground-level ozone, Health, methane, UN, warming
Climate Change, Health, Pollution, Science & Technology, Jul 9th, 2010,
I’ve assumed that transport via boat, whether shipping goods or people, is less polluting and has a lower carbon footprint than flying or road freight, for example. Not so, according to both scientific research and inside information from the maritime shipping industry. While diesel cars – once known as smelly, noisy polluters – have relatively cleaned up their act to the level of standard petrol or gasoline-fuelled cars, the heavy-duty diesel and low-grade fuel oil engines that power ships are a scourge on the environment and human health. From an article in the Economist: Research by James Corbett of the…
Tags: cargo, cars, Danish, deaths, denmark, diesel, emissions, environment, freight, H2O, Health, industry, nitrogen, ocean, oxide, Pollution, research, ship, shipping, ships, US
Climate Change, Conservation, Health, Wildlife & Flora, Jul 3rd, 2010,
Joyce Kilmer’s 1913 poem ‘Trees’ was not only sickly-sweet, but also pretty darn apt regarding how important our woody friends truly are. The British conservation charity Woodland Trust has published a report detailing the important role of native trees in urban environments. The report, entitled, ‘Greening the concrete jungle’, claims that more trees and woods in urban areas are needed in order to improve general health and wellness, reduce the risk of surface water flooding, raise the quality of life, support wildlife and enhance conditions for inward investment. Trees are an inexpensive way to provide a diverse range of benefits…
Tags: British, concrete jungle, greening, Health, native, report, tree, trees, trust, UK, urban, woodland
Politics, Pollution, Videos & Documentaries, ,
Gasland is a documentary film written and directed by Josh Fox which explores the practice of hydraulic fracturing, a widespread method used in drilling for natural gas in the United States. Hydraulic fracturing, often referred to as ‘fracking’ (yes, like in Battlestar Galactica), fractures rock in order to get at natural gas deposits in shale reservoirs. Environmental concerns associated with fracking include the contamination of groundwater, issues with air quality, greenhouse gas emissions and areas surrounding sites becoming polluted with natural gas and toxic chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing process. Gasland starts out a bit haphazard, as if Fox…
Tags: drilling, environment, environmental, film, fracking, fracturing, gas, Gasland, Halliburton, Health, hydraulic, natural
Health, Recycling, Science & Technology, Jun 26th, 2010,
We’ve all heard that BPA is bad for us, that we shouldn’t use any product—especially plastic bottles—that may contain BPA, and that we definitely shouldn’t expose infants or toddlers to BPA products, either. BPA, or Bisphenol A, has been linked to cancer, thyroid issues, obesity, neurological issues, and can even affect the growth, development and reproduction cycles of marine species. Given this knowledge, many people probably figure that all you have to do is avoid the plastic products that contain BPA and they’ll be safe, right? Wrong. Yes, BPA can be found in plastic bottles, but it can also be…
Tags: alternatives, Bisphenol A, BPA, drink cans, epoxy resin, food cans, fruits, harmful, Health, plastics, research, side effects, soda, soup, study, unsafe, vegetables
Green living, Politics, Jun 22nd, 2010,
The European Parliament shot down a plan to require the clear labeling of the healthiness of packaged food in the EU last week. The proposed label system involved an easily understandable color scheme, which would be placed on the front of the container in plain view. Another wish of many MEPs is to require information clearly stating from which country the food originated. On most food products available in Europe, information indicating high salt, sugar and saturated fat contents are small and ‘hidden’ on the back or sides of packaging, while positive nutritional content is in plain view on the…
Tags: EU, Europe, food, Health, labels, parliament, plan, scheme, votes
Climate Change, Politics, Jun 7th, 2010,
Over 25 years have past since the worst chemical disaster in history took place at the Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India. The catastrophe killed 15,000 according to Indian government estimates. Activists and locals put the death toll much higher, not to mention the thousands left disabled by the disaster. Today, a court in Bhopal convicted 8 Indian former Union Carbide employees of ‘death by negligence’. The convicted were sentenced to two years in prison – save one who died before the verdict – and the company fined a paltry 500,000 rupees ($10,000/€9,000) according to a report from Reuters….
Tags: activists, Anderson, Bhopal, convicted, court, disaster, government, Health, India, Indian, Union Carbide, US, verdict, victims
Climate Change, Green living, Jun 2nd, 2010,
There is something that happens in many rural areas around the globe. It’s a fairly common thing and it can also be a fairly dangerous thing, both to your health and to the environment. What am I referring to? Backyard Trash Burning. Yes, in many rural areas—small towns or out in the country—people will burn their trash. Typically, the trash is burned in a burning barrel (usually a 55 gallon metal drum), though some will also burn their garbage in boxes, a wood stove, or even a small pit dug into the ground. Items that are burned consist of things…
Tags: backyard trash burning, damage, danger, disposal, environmental, fire, garbage, hazards, Health, heavy metals, open burning, pollutants, Pollution, recycle, reduce, reuse, trash, waste
Green living, Health, May 6th, 2010,
I always knew lack of sleep was bad for you. I mean, you don’t have to be a genius to equate feeling horrible with poor health. Now there is scientific evidence that it can actually kill you – and not just from falling asleep at the wheel. According to a Dutch study, missing just one night of sleep can impede the body from processing sugar. Lack of sleep could be a significant contributor to rising global levels of type 2 diabetes. From a report by Reuters: The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM), showed that…
Tags: death, Health, insomniac, lack of sleep, modern, research, sleep, sleeping, society, too much
Green living, Health, Apr 30th, 2010,
Have you ever seen the commercials about high fructose corn syrup? You know: the ones that try to tell you it’s bad for you but they can’t really explain why it’s bad for you. They really aren’t very helpful. For years, there’s been an ongoing debate about high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), sugar, and other sweeteners. Some people say they are all bad for you. Some people say sugar is better than HFCS, while others strongly suggest the opposite. Yet they don’t always provide you with enough information (or any information) so you can make your own decision on the…
Tags: fructose, glucose, Health, HFCs, high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, sugar, sweeteners
Climate Change, Green living, Health, Science & Technology, Apr 25th, 2010,
Climate Change is becoming a growing concern when it comes to health issues. Last week, a group of federal agencies issued a report on the threat climate change poses to health, analyzing what areas need to be studied. The report, published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, basically states that the climate will force people to “negotiate with their changing environment as never before to find ways to reshape it both for short-term protection and long-term alleviation of health consequences”. Jane Lubchenco, head of NOAA, commented: “To mitigate and adapt to the health effects of climate change, we…
Tags: Climate change, global warming, Health, medical, research, study
Green living, Science & Technology, Apr 6th, 2010,
US residents have been rather upset about the new health reform lately and understandably so. However, there is at least one positive piece of health related news to report: The largest nonprofit HMO in the US is going solar. Kaiser Permanente is based in Oakland, California, and has nearly 200,000 employees and physicians, plus over 400 offices and medical centers. The solar panels will be installed on 15 of their hospitals, offices and other facilities throughout California by 2011. They will be installed by San Francisco based solar power company, Recurrent Energy. This isn’t the first solar power installation for…
Tags: Health, Kaiser Permanente, largest nonprofit HMO in the US, medical, Recurrent Energy, renewable energy, solar panel installation, solar power
Climate Change, Green living, Health, Politics, Mar 8th, 2010,
The main opposition to legislation connected to climate change seems to stem from a public and corporate outcry against paying higher taxes. This could in many instances be interpreted as a selfish reason to oppose any government-backed climate or environmental action. A more sympathetic take on the opposition to regulating global emissions could focus on the belief that such regulations might hinder economic growth in developing countries, thereby keeping them in poverty. However, a recent article from BBC News explores an astonishingly seldom-discussed facet of climate change – whether man-made or not: the immense toll on human health and human…
Tags: Climate change, countries, developing, disease, global, Health, human, warming
Green living, Health, Mar 7th, 2010,
The municipality of in the region of North Karelia in the east of Finland is home to a remarkably successful health program. Eastern Finland once had the highest death rate from heart disease in the world. In 1972 a Finnish government led project was launched in cooperation with the WHO to combat heart disease in Eastern Finland, starting in North Karelia. The North Karelia Project focuses on lifestyle factors in non-communicable diseases – primarily diet and exercise. By 2006 the annual mortality rate of coronary heart disease in North Karelia in the working age population had fallen approximately 85 %,…
Tags: disease, Finland, Health, heart, Karelia, NBC, north, project
Green living, Health, Science & Technology, Feb 12th, 2010,
At least 40 people have died and 2,000 fallen ill in Papua New Guinea’s first cholera outbreak in 50 years, according to information from the World Health Organization. The Associated Press reports that the epidemic is so far not contained and poses a difficult problem for the health care system of this poverty-stricken Pacific nation. The outbreak started in July in northeastern Morobe province, according to Enoch Posamai, executive manager of the country’s Public Health Department. The disease was first reported in temporary settlements around the provincial capital of Lae, and then spread to neighboring provinces, where remote villages are…
Tags: Associated Press, bacteria, cholera, diarrhea, disease, Health, outbreak, Papua New Guinea
