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ARTIGO ARTICLE
Global environmental health and sustainable development:
the role at Rio+20
Abstract The Rio+20 United Nations Confer- Resumo A Conferência da ONU Rio +20 sobre
ence on Sustainable Development represents a cru- desenvolvimento sustentável representa uma opor-
cial opportunity to place environmental health at tunidade crucial para colocar a saúde ambiental à
the forefront of the sustainable development agen- frente da agenda de desenvolvimento sustentável.
da. Billions of people living in low- and middle- Bilhões de pessoas que vivem em países de baixa e
income countries continue to be afflicted by pre- média renda continuarão a ser afligidas por doen-
ventable diseases due to modifiable environmen- ças evitáveis devido a exposições ambientais mo-
tal exposures, causing needless suffering and per- dificáveis causando sofrimento desnecessário e per-
petuating a cycle of poverty. Current processes of petuando um ciclo de pobreza. Processos de desen-
economic development, while alleviating many volvimento econômico atuais, enquanto aliviam
social and health problems, are increasingly linked muitos problemas de saúde e sociais, estão cada vez
to environmental health threats, ranging from air mais ligados a ameaças de saúde ambiental, abran-
pollution and physical inactivity to global climate gendo desde poluição do ar e inatividade física até
change. Sustainable development practices attempt mudanças climáticas globais. Práticas de desen-
to reduce environmental impacts and should, in volvimento sustentável tentam reduzir o impacto
theory, reduce adverse environmental health con- ambiental e deveriam, em teoria, reduzir as con-
sequences compared to traditional development. sequências adversas da saúde ambiental em rela-
Yet these efforts could also result in unintended ção ao desenvolvimento tradicional. Ainda assim,
harm and impaired economic development if the esses esforços podem também resultar em danos
new “Green Economy” is not carefully assessed for não intencionais e em pior desenvolvimento eco-
adverse environmental and occupational health nômico se a nova “Economia Verde” não for cui-
impacts. The environmental health community dadosamente avaliada para impactos na saúde
1
has an essential role to play in underscoring these ambiental e ocupacional adversos. A comunidade
Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation Clinical relationships as international leaders gather to da saúde ambiental tem um papel essencial para
Scholars Program, Yale craft sustainable development policies. desempenhar, enfatizando estas relações enquanto
School of Medicine. 333 Keywords Sustainable development, Environmen- líderes internacionais se reúnem para criar políti-
Cedar Street SHM IE-61
PO Box 208088. 06520 tal health, Global health, Climate change, Rio+20 cas de desenvolvimento sustentável.
New Haven CT USA. Palavras-chave Desenvolvimento sustentável,
john.balbus@nih.gov Saúde ambiental, Saúde global, Mudança climáti-
2
National Institute of
Environmental Health ca, Rio +20
Sciences
1428
Furie GL, Balbus J
Quality guidelines/
Pollution standards ductivity and compounding other challenges to
Habitat loss Weak Habitat designation
Hydrological adjustments poverty reduction. Among those under the age
Monitoring
Climate change Remediation of 15, 34% of the total burden of disease can be
Impact attributed to the environment as compared to
nied by new environmental threats that can under- combustion, represents another significant and
mine these gains. Access to clean water, sanitation, inequitable threat to public health15,16.
improved sources of household energy, perinatal Changes in the natural environment due to
care, vaccinations, and adequate nutrition have vir- anthropogenic climate change present numerous
tually eliminated the traditional scourges of envi- threats to human health. Extreme heat, more in-
ronmental health in high-income countries. Com- tense and frequent weather events, and exacer-
plex healthcare delivery systems and advances in bation of the effects of air pollution have direct
medical therapies and technologies have com- impacts on human health. Changing distribu-
pounded the impact of these achievements. tions of vector- and water-borne diseases, forced
Yet the very process of economic development migration due to sea level rise or desertification,
(enabled in part, as discussed, by improvements and disruption of vital ecosystem services result
in population health) has also resulted in unin- in indirect health effects.
tended adverse environmental health effects me- Although uncertainties exist, it is estimated
diated largely by environmental contamination, that in the year 2000, an excess of 160,000 deaths
exploitation of natural resources, and poorly in- and over 5 million DALYs occurred as a conse-
formed land-use decisions. Population growth, quence of climatic change that had occurred over
rapid industrialization – often in countries with the preceding 30 years17. The greatest burden was
limited capacity or incentives to regulate environ- experienced in the developing world and dispro-
mental impacts –, adoption of western lifestyles portionately among children.
and patterns of consumption, and globalization
amplify these effects. Even as new environmental The Changing Nature
health threats are emerging, vulnerable popula- of Environmental Health Threats
tions continue to bear a disproportionate, histor- Economic development has changed the char-
ical burden of environmentally mediated diseases. acteristics of environmental health hazards, result-
ing in more indirect, global, and delayed health ef-
Industrialization, Pollution, fects. Traditionally, the environmental health ef-
and Climate Change fects of industrial processes have been mediated
Industrialization has been a key driver of eco- through direct physiological impacts (e.g. expo-
nomic growth worldwide. Increased capacity for sure to air pollution resulting in cardiac or respira-
natural resource extraction, manufacturing, in- tory disease). Increasingly, the chain of causality
dustrial agriculture, and global distribution- fu- from initial environmental insult to human health
eled by the very wealth it creates- often comes at effects is growing longer (e.g. impacts from green-
the expense of the environment. The resultant house gas emissions ultimately manifesting as men-
pollution of air, land, and water has important tal health disorders in the setting of forced popula-
implications for human health through increased tion migration or the built environment influenc-
risk of toxic exposures and compromised life- ing behaviors, such as physical inactivity, that have
sustaining ecosystem services. Compounding associated health consequences). Economic devel-
these effects is an increasing demand for energy opment – characterized by industrialization, tech-
used to sustain further industrial expansion and nology adoption, and globalization – is also chang-
support the increasingly energy-intensive lifestyles ing the spatial and temporal scales over which en-
of a growing population. vironmental determinants affect human health.
Increasing demand for energy, met primarily As a consequence of global trade, individuals
through combustion of fossil fuels, is perhaps geographically isolated from a product’s end user
the greatest environmental health threat associ- often experience the most harmful environmen-
ated with economic development. Generation of tal exposures during that product’s lifecycle (e.g.
electricity from coal and the use of petroleum processes of manufacturing and disposal). The
products for transportation, industrial, and res- export of waste electronic and electronic equip-
idential and commercial applications are leading ment to developing countries- where informal
causes of air pollution. Products of combustion, repair and recycling and unregulated disposal
including particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and result in toxic heavy metal and chemical expo-
ground level ozone, are major contributors to sures- serves as a useful example18.
mortality and morbidity from cardiovascular Indirect environmental health effects also tend
and respiratory diseases. Outdoor air pollution to exert their influence over larger spatial scales.
is responsible for 1.3 million deaths annually, with Changes in weather patterns in the context of ris-
the greatest burden in middle-income countries14. ing greenhouse gas emissions occur at a global scale,
Global climate change, due in part to fossil fuel even though individuals experience the effects lo-
1431
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