Commissioner: David Hanrahan
“Somebody always has to pay the price for pollution – unfortunately it is usually not the people who are profiting.”
David Hanrahan, Senior Advisor, Pure Earth. David has more than thirty years experience on international projects and policy, particularly on urban, industrial and water related challenges in developing countries. He has a rare mix of professional engineering training; qualifications in natural resources economics; practical experience in more than twenty developing countries; and the ability to use this learning to achieve practical outcomes to complex problems. He is a Chartered Engineer in the UK, with an MSc in policy analysis from MIT later complemented by an MSc in natural resources economics in London. He has worked internationally as a technical consultant, been a manager in the Environmental Department in the World Bank, and has more recently been a senior advisor to Pure Earth.
Why did you decide to join the Global Commission on Pollution + Health?
I have supported the need for a comprehensive global view since the idea was first suggested.
What impact will the work of the Commission have?
The Commission can give credibility and weight to problems which are often dismissed as purely local concerns but which add up to a real global threat.
How can we overcome obstacles to progress in the fight against pollution? What changes do you hope to see in your lifetime?
Pollution can be managed. More than anything, it needs a commitment to take action.
The Commission on Pollution and Health is an initiative of The Lancet, the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution (GAHP), and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, with coordination from the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Bank. Commissioners include many of the world’s leading researchers and practitioners in the fields of pollution management, environmental health and sustainable development.
