Global Environmental Health: Air Quality Issues and Recommendations

This essay provides a comprehensive overview of global environmental health issues, specifically focusing on air quality and its detrimental effects. The essay explores the causes of air pollution, including automobile emissions and industrial pollutants, and analyzes its impact on both global and local communities. It examines various health risks, such as respiratory illnesses, cardiovascular problems, and potential long-term effects on the environment. The essay also highlights the short and long-term impacts of air pollution, linking it to climate change and the increasing global temperature. Furthermore, the essay offers recommendations for mitigating air pollution, including health promotion strategies and policies to reduce the negative impacts of air pollution on the environment and public health. The essay emphasizes the importance of international cooperation and local actions to improve air quality and protect environmental health.

ENVIRONMENTAL
HEALTH ISSUES

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
PART A...........................................................................................................................................1
Thinking globally...................................................................................................................1
Acting locally.........................................................................................................................3
Recommendations..................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
Environmental health can be defined as aspect of public health linked with each and
every external conditions such as all forms of substances, life, problems, forces and challenges in
the environment or surroundings. The present essay is in context to Air Quality and its effect on
environmental health globally. It will identify an overview of the global environmental health
issues related to Air Quality. It will also consider the causes and interaction of other areas of
global concern. Air Quality can be referred as release of pollutants in the air that negatively
affect the living organisation and whole planet. It has a serious impact on climate, health and
economics. The level of Air Quality is increasing day by day due to increase in auto-mobile
exhausts and industrial pollutants globally.
Essay will also determine potential health risks to people living in a community locally
with various issues related to Air Quality. Furthermore, the report will include effective
recommendations in order to control and minimise Air Quality within environment. There are so
many global environmental issues affecting life style and health of people that numerous issues
related to same are discussed in this report. Various issues that affect air quality will be
explained here as well.
PART A
Thinking globally
The global environmental health issues such as air pollution are reducing the quality of
air effectively. Air pollution now has become a global problem and issue for many countries. Air
pollution is world’s single biggest problem towards environmental health risks of people.
According to World Health Organisation, it is clearly stated that around 7 million people are
affected by the air pollution. Air quality is affected and pollution occurs when the environment is
contaminated by any chemical, physical or biological agent that modifies the natural
characteristic of atmosphere (Welford, 2016). Stoves at home, tobacco smoke, motor vehicles,
industrial facilities and forest fire are common sources of air pollution which also affect the air
quality which is not good for health of people. Different countries and government is taking steps
against air pollution which has a negative impact on the environment and health of people as
well. There are so many negative impacts of air pollution which reduce quality of air such as it
can cause frightening health issues and affect brain’s development.
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There are some potential long and short term impacts for the world of air pollution and
quality which are discussed as below:
Short term impacts
It can be said that there is a range of air pollution effects on human health. There are
some people that are globally affected from various diseases. In respect to this, air pollution will
create noticeable symptoms that people need to make major changes in their life and habits
which help to avoid exposure of air pollution. Older people are mostly suffer from heart and lung
diseases and conditions that young people can make good sense for them to be aware of air
pollution and conditions. General population is affected by air pollution at very high level that in
some cases eyes issues or dry throats are result of air pollution. Children play games outside and
in dusty areas that children with asthma should take care of medication while playing in
pollution areas (Healy, 2017).
It is analysed that there are range of published evidences that indicate net damaged cost
of climate change which is significant enough to consider and will increase over time. The global
temperature is increasing which is not good for the global climate (Krieger, 2014). Long-term
effects of climate change will include a decrease in sea ice and an increase in permafrost
thawing, an increase in heat waves and heavy precipitation as well as decreased water resources
in semi-arid regions. The government should take some initial steps in order to reduce impact of
air pollution which is reducing quality of air and increasing climate diseases. Air pollution will
increase temperature which affect climate changes and enhances the humidity. Earthquake and
many natural incidents are caused just because of pollution. Factories and other industries are
affecting air quality by harmful gases and toxins in air which is reducing quality of air
effectively. This will affect behaviour, nature and diseases for people that clean Act authorities
should ensure proper management of resources that creates air pollution.
There are some long term impacts of air pollution such as Ozone increasing asthma
attacks frequency, shortness of breath, lung diseases, permanent damage to lung through long
term exposures and affect cardiovascular system as well. It can be said that air pollution and
climate changes are much closed to each other. Sources of CO2 emission and burning of fossil
fuels are the drivers of climate changes as well as major sources of air pollution which decrease
the quality of air (Kearns, Kingsbury and Andrews, 2016). The air pollutants have now become
harmful for humans and ecosystem as well that it is affecting amount of incoming sunlight
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reflected by the atmosphere. There are many gases such as methane, black carbon, ozone and
sulphate aerosols exists in environment and has a potential impact on climate changes.
According to world health organisation, air pollution is one of the leading environmental issues
that are affecting global environment and health of people (Williams, 2014). Increasing number
of population, vehicles and global warming is affecting global environment and air.
Acting locally
It can be said that healthy people can also experience impact of air pollution and quality
by breathing difficulties, outdoor activities and respiratory irritation. Air pollution has a great
impact on a particular nation that people living in country will face health issues. High air
pollution can cause immediate issues such as respiratory illness, aggravated cardiovascular,
stress, heart and lung issues, damaged cells in the respiratory system, etc. These factors affect the
life of normal people and make him unhealthy with polluted environment (Zuo and Zhao, 2014).
Polluted air can cause long term health effects such as accelerate ageing of lung, decrease lung
function, development of diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, cancer or shortened
life span. In addition to this, there are more issues associated with air pollution and quality which
affect the local public and communities (Gibbs, 2014). People with heart disease can lead to
heart failure in case of affected by air pollution, asthma also increased with polluted air, outdoor
workers, pregnant women and children under age of 14. These are some people affected heavily
by air pollution.
Recommendations
It can be said that the first international conference of health promotion was organised in
Ottawa, Canada in November, 1986. The main purpose behind that is to focus on improving
healthy environment. Health promotion is a process in which people enable to control and
improve their healths. A good health can be acquire from, peace, shelter, education, food,
income, ecosystem and resources effectively. There are three basic strategies of health promotion
such as Advocate, Enable and Mediate (Clark, 2015). The major resource of societies is good
health and personal as well as economical development. Political, social, legal, environmental,
behavioural and cultural factors can harm health. Enable focus on achieving equity in health. The
actions towards health promotion will help to reduce differences in present health status and also
ensure availability of opportunities. Local needs and possibilities has a major responsibility to
mediate between society interest towards health. Priority action areas should be determined such
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as healthy public policy, supportive environment, personal skills, health services and products
will help to reduce impact of air pollution and global climate changes in a particular nation.
Health promotion commitment should be considered by health care organisations and local
government in order to provide healthy services to people (Dighton and White, 2017).
Businesses operating with principles of charter such as community health services, primary care
partnership, local government and welfare agencies and peak business should operate smoothly
towards reducing negative impact of air pollution and quality to local people (Winter and Koger,
2014).
CONCLUSION
It can be analysed from the above report that the global environmental health issues such
as air pollution reducing the quality of air effectively. In addition to this, there are so many
negative impacts of air pollution which reduce quality of air such as it can cause frightening
health issues and affect brain development. General population is affected by air pollution and in
some cases eyes issues or dry throats are result of air pollution. Children play games outside and
in dusty areas that children with asthma should take care of medication while playing in
pollution areas. There are many gases such as methane, black carbon, ozone and sulfate aerosols
exists in environment and has a potential impact on climate changes. Air pollution has a great
impact on a particular nation that people living in country will face health issues. There are some
recommendations that the major resource of societies is good health and personal as well as
economical development. Health promotion commitment should be considered by health care
organisations and local government in order to provide healthy services to people.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Welford, R., 2016. Corporate environmental management 1: Systems and strategies. Routledge.
Krieger, N., 2014. Discrimination and health inequities. International Journal of Health
Services 44(4) pp.643-710.
Williams, C., 2014. An environmental victimology. In Environmental Victims (pp. 23-46).
Routledge.
Zuo, J. and Zhao, Z.Y., 2014. Green building research–current status and future agenda: A
review. Renewable and sustainable energy reviews 30 pp.271-281.
Gibbs, E.P.J., 2014. The evolution of One Health: a decade of progress and challenges for the
future. Veterinary Record 174(4) pp.85-91.
Clark, M.J., 2015. Community health nursing. Prentice Hall.
Dighton, J. and White, J.F. eds., 2017. The fungal community: its organization and role in the
ecosystem. CRC Press.
Winter, D.D.N. and Koger, S., 2014. The Psychology of Environmental Problems: Psychology
for Sustainability. Psychology Press.
Healy, J.D., 2017. Housing, fuel poverty and health: a pan-European analysis. Routledge.
Kearns, R., Kingsbury, P. and Andrews, G.J., 2016. Introduction. In Soundscapes of Wellbeing in
Popular Music(pp. 17-36). Routledge.
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