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Special Update: The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health Reaches Over 1.8 Billion Worldwide

November 7, 2017
GAHP admin
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The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health was published on Oct. 19 following two years of work from Commissioners from around the world, consisting of many of the world’s most influential leaders, researchers and practitioners in the fields of pollution management, environmental health and sustainable development.

The landmark report generated intense global interest with news of the Commission’s findings and recommendations reaching over 1.8 billion people worldwide and counting through TV, radio, in print, and over social media.

The Washington Post, CNN, The Guardian and BBC, Le Monde, La Repubblica, El Tiempo, I ndia Express, Associated Press were among the nearly 600 published news pieces produced.

Much of the focus was on the shocking revelation of pollution’s high cost in terms of lives and economic damages, and the solutions available to solve this global crisis.

Global Events

At the NYC launch event, UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner delivered a video address.

This was followed by a distinguished panel that included the co-chairs of the Commission–Dr. Philip Landrigan, Arnhold Institute for Global Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Richard Fuller, President, Pure Earth–as well as Gina McCarthy, former US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator; Carlos Salinas, former President of Mexico; Pam Das, Senior Executive Director, The Lancet; Karti Sandilya, former US Resident Director, Asian Development Bank; Maureen Cropper, Resources for the Future.

In Europe, an event in Brussels featured Daniel Calleja, the Director-General for the Environment at the European Commission; Janez Potočnik, former European Commission Commissioner for the Environment and UN International Resource Panel; Vijoleta Gordeljevic, Health and Environment Alliance; among other leaders and experts on a panel moderated by UNIDO.

In Canada, Maureen McTeer, University of Ottawa, and Karti Sandilya presented the Commission’s findings at the CSIH Canadian Conference on Global Health.

Other events are taking place around the world to present the findings of the Commission in India, Qatar, the Philippines and Mexico, with a special event planned at the World Bank in Washington, D.C.

Spread The Word – The Open Letter

“For too long, pollution has been sidelined, overshadowed, ignored…”

In this open letter, Dr. Philip Landrigan and Richard Fuller, co-chairs of Commission, ask the world to take action. The urgent plea is being distributed through various channels by our supporters and has already been read thousand of times. Please read and share to get the word out through your networks.

Spread The Word – The Video

“It kills more people than war, hunger, malaria, AIDS, TB… all of these pale in comparison.”

Watch and share the complete 9-minute mini documentary–Pollution: A Global Public Health Crisis–which premiered in NYC at the Commission launch event to a packed house.

Spread The Word – Pollution.org

The new global pollution reporting website, pollution.org, has been launched. The site includes a global pollution map with pollution data that the public can access or add to.
This map will be a living database – more data layers will be added to the map as they become available. The information gathered will help fill gaps in research and also help bring an understanding of the human experience that gets lost in the numbers.

New and Noteworthy – Editorials

In a recent commentary, the World Health Organization (WHO) wrote: “The Lancet Commission on pollution and health… is an immensely important piece of work highlighting the impact that environmental pollution has on death and disease and the related need to scale up political will if we are to effectively confront this issue.”
A new editorial in The Lancet, Pollution: think of the children, puts weight behind the Commission’s findings that children are the most vulnerable.

Join Us

GAHP will be attending UNEA 3 in Nairobi, Kenya, to raise awareness about the findings of The Lancet Commission, and to encourage attendees to focus on implementation of solutions that save lives.

Some of the best photographs from the #TellYourPollutionStory Your Shot campaign partnership with National Geographic will be on display at the gathering. See a slideshow of highlights from over 3000 submissions.

GAHP Annual Meeting at UNEA 3

GAHP members, observers and other interested agencies, including representatives of low- and middle-income countries are invited to join GAHP for its annual general meeting on 3rd December 12:00 – 15:00. Conference room 4, at UNEA 3.

The meeting will set out GAHP’s focus for 2018-2020, and detail how countries can prioritize solutions, including through the GAHP-assisted Health and Pollution Action Planning process. Join us to learn more about GAHP and its activities.

You can also join us remotely via from your computer, tablet or smartphone: https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/448171829

Or dial in using your phone.

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Questions? Call Rachael Kupka, Rachael@pureearth.org