Human Reproduction Is Threatened By Pollution
250 scientists warn in a UN report that the health and future of humanity are seriously threatened by pollution and climate change.
Toxic agents generated by human activities seriously threaten our health and our ability to reproduce, according to a report prepared by 250 scientists from 70 countries for the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), presented in Nairobi, where is celebrating the IV Assembly of Mediombiente.
Experts warn that by 2050 millions of premature deaths are expected in Asia, the Middle East and Africa due to pollution and climate change. To avoid them, drastic environmental protection measures are necessary.
Bacteria and endocrine disruptors
One of the health threats is the emergence of bacteria resistant to antibiotics. Infections will therefore become one of the main causes of death.
Another danger, which is already a reality, is constituted by endocrine disruptors, a type of pollutants that alter health, especially the reproductive capacity of men and women. And they also interfere with children’s neurological development.
Scientists are clear: there is no health if the state of the environment is bad. So we are at a crossroads. “Do we continue on the same path that will lead to a bleak future, or do we choose the path of sustainable development? That is the choice our political leaders must make, now,” said UNEP Deputy Executive Director Joyce Msuya.
The report states that we have the knowledge and the technology to make development sustainable. We just need to stop clinging to outdated production models. Scientists propose moving to a ‘zero waste’ model, based on the circular economy, where uncontrolled waste does not exist or is limited to the inevitable.
Low meat diet
The changes must start with the food and energy production systems. The report advises a diet with little meat and reducing food waste (currently one third of the food produced in the world is discarded).
“These measures would halve the amount of food we will need to produce to feed the 9-10 billion people who will live on the planet by 2050,” they explain.
Another important measure is investing in rural areas to reduce migration.
