UNESCO message for the World Environment Day - Air Pollution underlines the fragility of life on Earth
Message from Ms Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO on the occasion of the World Environment Day, “Air Pollution”, 5 June 2019
For forty-five years, World Environment Day has been a vehicle for inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to acknowledge the importance of the environment, improve quality of life, and foster sustainable development for the well-being of humankind and that of future generations.
This year’s theme, “Air Pollution”, underlines the fragility of life on Earth without air that is clean and safe to breathe. The World Health Organization recently reported that more than 90% of the world’s population lives in areas where levels of air pollution do not meet safe standards. Millions of premature deaths worldwide can be traced to harmful substances in the atmosphere as a result of human activities. Air pollution costs the global economy US$ 5 trillion every year in welfare.
Atmospheric pollution endangers our health, our habitats, but also our common environmental heritage. It has a negative impact on terrestrial, marine and coastal areas, and causes disturbances in regulatory ecosystems that are fundamental for the overall quality of life of human societies, and for the health of lands, seas and other living species.
Reducing air pollution is about protecting the environment, preserving biodiversity, and mitigating climate change, which make up some of the most pressing challenges of today.
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