Today the focus is on a report issued by the World Health Organization in connection with the Climate Change Conference held at Durban, South Africa. The report examines the positive impacts on health by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transportation and the advantages and disadvantages of certain strategies such as the results of congestion pricing (positive) or the shift to diesel fuel (negative).
Key Quotes:
“This new WHO report, part of the Health in the Green Economy series, considers the evidence regarding health co-benefits, and risks, of climate change mitigation strategies for transport, as reviewed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change”
“Health benefits may include: physical activity from walking and cycling, which can help prevent heart disease, some cancers, type 2 diabetes, and some obesity-related risks; lower urban air pollution concentrations; lower rates of traffic injury risks for users of dedicated bicycle and pedestrian networks; and less noise stress”
“A shift to active transport (walking and cycling) and rapid transit/public transport combined with improved land use can yield much greater immediate health “co-benefits” than improving fuel and vehicle efficiencies”
“Potential health gains of a shift from private motorized transport to walking, cycling and rapid transit/public transport include reduced cardiovascular and respiratory disease from air pollution, less traffic injury and less noise-related stress”
“Shifting from gasoline to diesel vehicles could increase emissions of health-damaging small particulates (PM10, PM2.5)”
“Transport-related health risks now cause the deaths of millions of people annually”
“Congestion charges have reduced emissions by 13–30%, while a subsidy for low carbon fuel has been estimated to reduce emissions by 6%”
Related articles
- Climate Change is the Number One Problem of the e-Decade (edecade.wordpress.com)
- Scottish plan to cut CO2 emissions could cost £11bn, warns watchdog (guardian.co.uk)
- EAC-COMESA-SADC launch five-year climate change initiative / Regional blocs get $20 million to address climate change (appablog.wordpress.com)
- Climate Change Meetings Focus on Adaptation (indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com)
- Climate change mitigation 'out of reach' (chimalaya.org)
- Cycling & Traffic Corridors: Health Risks & Benefits (healthyandsustainable.wordpress.com)
- Climate Change Harms Human Health (thinkprogress.org)
- Durban climate change talks: the final day (guardian.co.uk)
- Durban Dispatch: December 7, 2011 (thinkprogress.org)
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