“Each year 3.5 million people in the Western Pacific die as a result of environmental causes, like air pollution, extreme weather events or waterborne diseases. Every 14 seconds a person dies from air pollution in the Western Pacific, and over 90% of people breathe unhealthy levels of outdoor air pollution, largely resulting from the burning of the same fossil fuels that are driving climate change,” the organization said in a statement issued on the occasion of World Health Day.

WHO underlined that Rising sea levels and increasing tropical storms are reducing access to freshwater, degrading beaches and reefs, taking the land where homes and hospitals once stood, and, ultimately, threatening the lives and livelihoods of the people in the Pacific.

“Today, pollution and plastics are found at the bottom of our deepest oceans and the highest mountains and have made their way into our food chain. Systems to produce ultra-processed, unhealthy foods and beverages are driving a wave of obesity and increasing cancer and heart disease while generating a third of greenhouse gas emissions. Currently more than 93 million children in the Western Pacific are overweight or obese.”

“Protecting people’s health from climate change requires transformational action in every sector, including on energy, transport, nature, food systems, and finance,” the organization emphasized.

It also noted that breaking these cycles of destruction for the planet and human health requires legislative action, corporate reform, and individuals to be supported and incentivized to make healthy choices. (ILKHA)