Climate change, environmental pollution and biodiversity loss affect people’s health and generate multi-billion-euro economic losses, as a briefing produced by HEAL Poland under the patronage of the Institute of Water Economy and Meteorology of the National Research Institute and the Polish Federation of Asthma, Allergy, and COPD Patients Associations highlights.
A new report by the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), published today, shows that phasing out coal power in the Western Balkan region by 2030 instead of 2050 will bring a significantly greater reduction of illness and, ultimately, early deaths, and will also increase productivity and reduce health costs to society.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that no level of air pollution can be considered ‘safe’; and the science on how air pollution harms our health keeps growing. Breathing in particulate matter, even at low levels, can lead to physiological changes in the body that damage health. Poor air quality is also linked to chronic and acute respiratory diseases, such as bronchitis and the aggravation of asthma, which significantly degrades quality of life. Scientists continue to identify new ways that air pollution can harm health, for example, there is increasing evidence linking air pollution to dementia. New evidence has also shown that particles of air pollution travel through the lungs of pregnant women and lodge in their placentas, harming babies before they are born.
‘Curing chronic coal – How an early coal power phase out in the Western Balkan region can save lives, improve health and strengthen the economy’ finds that phasing out coal power by 2030 would, vis-a-vis a coal phase-out in 2050, avoid
- 272,993 additional days of asthma symptoms in asthmatic children
- 32,476 cases of bronchitis in healthy children
- 18 million restricted activity and lost work days
- 2,657,043 sick days off work
- 6,000 hospitalisations
- 11,768 premature deaths due to PM2.5 pollution
- over 1,200 premature deaths due to other pollutants
- 28 billion EUR in health costs
HEAL, on the basis of the analysis, recommends phasing out coal power in the Western Balkan region as early as possible – every day, every year will add to the health and economic burden caused by pollution.
That means:
- Western Balkan leaders to prioritise public health by closing all existing coal fired plants, preferably by 2030
- Avoid false solutions including the conversion of coal plants to gas or biomass.
- Western Balkans’ decision makers to use available EU funds on non-polluting energy options and promote healthy energy while in the same time initiating funding schemes for people that will truly support the production of energy from renewable sources that can self-sustain households
‘’More than 11,000 premature deaths as well as 273,000 asthma days and 2.6 million lost work days demonstrate why air pollution from burning coal is a health emergency. A commitment to protecting health must mean phasing out coal power in the Western Balkan region by 2030. ’’
– Dr Vlatka Matković, Senior Health and Energy Policy Officer, Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL).
‘’Air pollution is a serious public health and economic threat to the Western Balkans that needs immediate attention. Curing chronic coal pollution in the region will result in saving hundreds of thousands of lives, and in protecting especially children and newborns.’’
– Prof. Dr Zorana Jovanović Andersen, Department of Public Health at the University of Copenhagen and Chair of the European Respiratory Society Environment and Health Committee.
‘’Health experts urge the Western Balkans leaders to implement public health measures that will end the region’s existing burden from air pollution by prioritising the phase out of polluting, health-harming coal power plants as soon as possible.’’
– Prof. Dr Marija Jevtić, Faculty of Medicine University of Novi Sad and Associate Member of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the Serbian Medical Society.
Rano gašenje termoelektrana na ugalj u regionu Zapadnog Balkana može spasiti živote, poboljšati zdravlje i ojačati ekonomiju
Novi izveštaj Alijanse za zdravlje i životnu sredinu (HEAL), objavljen danas, pokazuje da će postepeno ukidanje energije dobijene iz uglja na Zapadnom Balkanu do 2030. umesto 2050. doprineti manjoj stopi bolesti i prevremnih smrti te povećati produktivnost ljudi i ekonomije.
Svetska zdravstvena organizacija (SZO) kaže da se nijedan nivo zagađenja vazduha ne može smatrati „bezbednim“ te da povećanje naučnih saznanja o štetnom uticaju zagađenjog vazduha na naše zdravlje nastavlja da raste. Udisanje čestica, čak i u niskim koncentracijama, može dovesti do fizioloških promena u telu koje štete zdravlju. Loš kvalitet vazduha povezan je i sa hroničnim i akutnim respiratornim oboljenjima, poput bronhitisa i pogoršanja astme, što značajno narušava kvalitet života. Naučnici nastavljaju da identifikuju nove načine o tome kako zagađenje vazduha može štetiti zdravlju, kao u primeru da je sve više dokaza koji povezuju zagađenje vazduha sa demencijom. Novi dokazi su takođe pokazali da čestice zagađenog vazduha putuju kroz pluća trudnica i zadržavaju se u njihovim placentama, šteteći bebama pre nego što se rode.
Izveštaj ’’Lečenje hroničnog uglja – kako rano gašenje termoelektrana na ugalj u regionu Zapadnog Balkana može spasiti živote, poboljšati zdravlje i ojačati ekonomiju’’ otkriva da bi postepenim ukidanjem energije dobijene iz uglja do 2030. godine, u odnosu na postupno ukidanje uglja do 2050. godine, izbeglo:
- 993 dana sa simptomima astme kod astmatične dece
- 476 slučajeva bronhitisa kod zdrave dece
- 18 miliona dana sa ograničenem aktivnosti i izgubljenih radnih dana
- 657.043 slobodna dana usled bolovanja
- 000 hospitalizacija
- 768 prevremenih smrti usled zagađenja PM2,5
- preko 1.200 prevremenih smrti usled drugih zagađivača
- 28 milijardi evra za zdravstvene troškove
HEAL, na osnovu analize, preporučuje da se što pre počne sa postepenim smanjenjem proizvodnje energije dobijene iz uglja u regionu Zapadnog Balkana – svaki dan, svaka godina će povećati zdravstveni i ekonomski teret uzrokovan zagađenjem:
- Lideri Zapadnog Balkana trebaju dati prioritet javnom zdravlju tako što će zatvoriti sve postojeće elektrane na ugalj, po mogućnosti do 2030. godine.
- Države trebaju izbegavati lažna rešenja poput konverzije termoelektrana na ugalj u postrojenja na gas ili biomasu.
- Donosioci odluka na Zapadnom Balkanu trebaju koristiti raspoloživa sredstva Evropske unije za energetski nezagađujuća rešenja i promovisati zdravu energiju, dok u isto vreme trebaju inicirati šeme finansiranja za ljude koji će zaista podržati proizvodnju energije iz obnovljivih izvora koje će učiniti domaćinstva samoodrživim.
„Više od 11,000 prevremenih smrti, kao i 273,000 dana sa simptomima astme i 2.6 miliona izgubljenih radnih dana pokazuju zašto zagađenje vazduha ugljem zahteva hitan zdravstveni odgovor. Posvećenost zaštiti zdravlja mora da znači postepeno ukidanje energije dobijene iz uglja u regionu Zapadnog Balkana do 2030. ”
– Dr Vlatka Matković, Viša savetnica za zdravlje i energetiku, Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL).
„Zagađenje vazduha predstavlja ozbiljnu pretnju za javno zdravlje i ekonomiju Zapadnog Balkana zbog čega je potrebna hitna pažnja. Lečenje hroničnog zagađenja ugljem u regionu će rezultirati spasavanjem stotina hiljada života, a posebno zaštitom dece i novorođenčadi.”
– Prof. dr Zorana Jovanović Andersen, profesorka epidemiologije životne sredine na Odeljenju za javno zdravlje Univerziteta u Kopenhagenu i predsednica Komiteta za životnu sredinu i zdravlje Evropskog respiratornog društva.
„Zdravstveni stručnjaci pozivaju lidere Zapadnog Balkana da sprovedu javno-zdravstvene mere koje će okončati postojeći teret u regionu od zagađenja vazduha tako što će dati najveći prioritet postepenom ukidanju termoelektrana na ugalj koje negativno utiču na zdravlje građana.’’
– Prof. dr Marija Jevtić, profesorka na Medicinskom fakultetu Univerziteta u Novom Sadu i vanredni član Akademije medicinskih nauka Srpskog lekarskog društva.
