Environmental Pollution: A Global Health and Common Good Report

This report critically analyzes the global issue of environmental pollution, focusing on its detrimental effects on health and education, and its failure to promote the common good. It highlights the impacts of urbanization, industrialization, and various human activities on health, citing statistics on deaths and health issues related to air pollution. The report then proposes three comprehensive strategies to address the challenge: reducing greenhouse gas emissions through better transportation and industrial practices, promoting waste recycling to prevent pollution, and conserving water and energy. These strategies are discussed in the context of global and local initiatives, emphasizing the role of nursing professionals and governmental bodies in advocating for change and promoting shared responsibility. The report references various studies and organizations, such as the World Health Organization and the Australian government, to support its findings and recommendations.

Running head: ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
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Critical analysis of a global issue in the context of the common good:
In the catholic social teaching, the principle of the common good is based on the
understanding that human beings are created as a social being and hence, the human being is
always in interdependence and interrelated with each other (Kristensen, Taylor & Flegal, 2017).
To comply with the principle of the common good, each individual must have sufficient and
equal access to the resources and goods so that every member of the society can live a purposeful
life. Hence, the rights of the individuals to the community resources and personal possessions
must be balanced with the individuals who are disadvantageous. However, the development of
global issue repeatedly highlighted that shared responsibility for the common good is not being
realized by the population. One such example is environmental pollution which has a range of
impact on health and education. Nan et al. (2020), suggested that urbanization and
industrialization around the globe led to high energy consumption and discharges of waste.
Consequently, the common impact on health includes perinatal disorders, respiratory disorders,
allergy, malignancy and cardiovascular disorder, endothelial dysfunction. While the safe and
pollution-free environment is shared responsibility that promotes the common good, human
activities such as the development of various industries and industrial waste product from
heating, agriculture, mining, transportation and manufacturing failed to promote the common
good. School going children in polluted areas had lower cognitive scores than school-going
children in a clear area, indicating it has a severe impact on education as well. Considering the
global context, environmental pollution contributed to 7 million deaths every year where
technology caused 3.8 million deaths (Www.aph.gov.au., 2020). In Australia, approximately
3000 Australians died from exposure to air pollution each year. The other health impacts of
environmental pollution include premature birth of 233 babies with reduced body weight, 361

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people developing type 2 diabetes and 2,614 years of life lost each year (Jeffreys, Graves &
Roth, 2018). Environmental pollution, especially air pollution has a neurodegenerative impact
that leads to lower memory and learning capacity. These statistical representations and facts
further intensifying the need for comprehensive strategies where shared responsibility for the
common good is realized.
Strategies to address the challenge:
Climate change has been a critical issue worldwide since the 21st century where
Australia is no exception. The world health organization highlighted that one of the major
impacts of environmental pollution is climate change that has a severe negative impact on the
health and wellbeing of the population around the globe. The world health organization is
supporting a range of developing countries to reduce emissions of greenhouse gas, recycle the
products and implementation of water and energy conservation practices. Hence, three
comprehensive strategies that can address the challenge are the following:
1. Reduce emissions of greenhouse gas:
Emissions of greenhouse gases from the combustion of fossil fuels are associated with
environmental population since these pollutants originated from natural or man-made resources.
Consequently, the impacts include photochemical smog, acid rain that resulted in various health
issues and premature mortality rate (Jeffreys, Graves & Roth, 2018). The world health
organization suggested that an effective way of reducing carbon emission is to use better
transportation since transport is responsible for 93 Mt CO2-e (17%) (Sarkodie & Strezov, 2018).
In the global context, the alternative way of driving is walking, riding a cycle and driving cars
that are fluent efficient. Walking and riding a bicycle will reduce the use of cars that contribute
to carbon emission and promote the common good. The nursing professionals can advocate for

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walking and riding a bicycle for the patients who are suffering from serious health issues due to
obesity (Jeffreys, Graves & Roth, 2018). It will improve health condition and reduce carbon
emission. On the other hand, another way of reducing carbon emission is to replace the
electronic equipment of the industry that consumes minimum electricity. It will reduce indirect
emission and heat emission (Mills & MacGill, 2017). In the industrial setting, modifying a
production process for producing less waste, using environmentally friendly fuel sources can be
effective in reducing carbon emission. In the Australian context, emission reduction fund is now
the main mechanism of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Australia where this fund provide
incentives to the industry and facilities to the household settings to reduce carbon emission, use
the bicycle or walk and store carbon in the land (Www.aph.gov.au., 2020).
2. Recycling of the waste:
Pollution prevention approaches can be applied to all potential and actual pollution
generating activities that negatively impact the health and wellbeing. Mohammadinia et al.
(2019), suggested that recycling prevents the emissions of greenhouse gases, water pollutants
and save energy. The global context, to promote the common good, recycling products and
reusing products are effective strategies. For example, reducing the item that is not reusable and
replaces it with reusable (washcloth instead of paper towel can be effective). Recycling helps
to decrease the pollution produced by the extraction as well as the processing of virgin materials
(Dias, Bernardes & Huda, 2018). To promote common good, nursing professionals can develop
advocacy through health promotional campaign where nursing professionals can promote use of
reusable products or recycle products that will reduce waste products such as durable coffee
mugs, cloth napkins, refilling bottles, purchase of durable and long-lasting goods, seeking toxic-
free products and redesign products to minimize the use of raw materials. It will reduce the use

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of toxic raw materials and prevent environmental pollution (Ghodrat et al., 2015). In the
Australian, the used plastic waste is collected for making outdoor products. If there are no
increased demands of the plastic products, then these plastics ended up landfills and government
industries purchase these products for recycling these products. Replas is such organization that
took initiatives to recycle waste products, especially plastics to prevent air, water and other
pollutions (Dias, Bernardes & Huda, 2018).
3. Conservation of water and energy practices:
Malpractice of waste of water and energy leads to a severe deficit of natural resources
that leads to environmental pollution. In this context, Conservation of water and energy practices
can be an effective strategy to mitigate the challenges associated with environmental pollution.
In this context, to promote the common good and associated shared responsibility, the pollution
in the domestic setting can preserve rain waters and store all excessive waters that can reuse for
toilet purpose (Jackson et al., 2019). The nursing professionals can assist such practices in the
community through health promotional plan where education regarding the conservation of
rainwater and saving water through turning off the tap, outing dishwasher to save excessive
water and purchasing water-efficient toilets can be provided. In order to conserve energy, solar
energy can be restored and every household is required to use chambers that can conserve solar
energy that can replace electricity (Beal et al., 2018). In Australia, the Australian government
supports various standards and competencies for the industries, local hospitals, mines and other
factories to conserve water and energy that can effectively reduce the pollution (Beal et al.,
2018).. Nursing professionals with the collaboration of governing bodies can change the policies
at the global and local level for energy and water conservation practices that can promote the
common good and facilitate a sense of shared responsibility for the common good.

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References:
Beal, C. D., Jackson, M., Stewart, R. A., Rayment, C., & Miller, A. (2018). Identifying and
understanding the drivers of high water consumption in remote Australian Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Island communities. Journal of Cleaner Production, 172, 2425-2434.
Dias, P., Bernardes, A. M., & Huda, N. (2018). Waste electrical and electronic equipment
(WEEE) management: An analysis on the australian e-waste recycling scheme. Journal
of Cleaner Production, 197, 750-764.
Ghodrat, M., Rhamdhani, M. A., Khaliq, A., Brooks, G., & Samali, B. (2018). Thermodynamic
analysis of metals recycling out of waste printed circuit board through secondary copper
smelting. Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management, 20(1), 386-401.
Jackson, M., Stewart, R. A., Fielding, K. S., Cochrane, J., & Beal, C. D. (2019). Collaborating
for sustainable water and energy management: assessment and categorisation of
indigenous involvement in remote Australian communities. Sustainability, 11(2), 427.
Jeffreys, I., Graves, G., & Roth, M. (2018). Evaluation of eco-driving training for vehicle fuel
use and emission reduction: A case study in Australia. Transportation Research Part D:
Transport and Environment, 60, 85-91.
Kristensen, L. J., Taylor, M. P., & Flegal, A. R. (2017). An odyssey of environmental pollution:
the rise, fall and remobilisation of industrial lead in Australia. Applied geochemistry, 83,
3-13.

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Mills, G., & MacGill, I. (2017). Assessing greenhouse gas emissions from electric vehicle
operation in Australia using temporal vehicle charging and electricity emission
characteristics. International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, 11(1), 20-30.
Mohammadinia, A., Wong, Y. C., Arulrajah, A., & Horpibulsuk, S. (2019). Strength evaluation
of utilizing recycled plastic waste and recycled crushed glass in concrete
footpaths. Construction and Building Materials, 197, 489-496.
Nan, B., Su, L., Kellar, C., Craig, N. J., Keough, M. J., & Pettigrove, V. (2020). Identification of
microplastics in surface water and Australian freshwater shrimp Paratya australiensis in
Victoria, Australia. Environmental Pollution, 259, 113865.
Sarkodie, S. A., & Strezov, V. (2018). Assessment of contribution of Australia's energy
production to CO2 emissions and environmental degradation using statistical dynamic
approach. Science of the Total Environment, 639, 888-899.
Www.aph.gov.au. (2020). Climate change—reducing Australia’s emissions – Parliament of
Australia. Retrieved 28 January 2020, from
https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/
Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BriefingBook45p/EmissionsReduction