HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT

A new briefing by HEAL (in English and in Turkish), as part of the EU funded CISIP project, underlines the many health benefits that could be gained if Turkish decision-makers implemented stronger Green Deal action. Turkey’s Green Deal Action Plan, launched in 2021, sets 32 objectives and 81 actions, including on a Green and Circular Economy, secure energy supply and sustainable agriculture. However, contrary to the EU Green Deal which was adopted in 2019, the Turkish plan doesn’t set any tangible targets or deadlines.

As part of its 20th anniversary celebrations, HEAL recently hosted the European Environment and Health Task Force (EHTF) in its Brussels office. The EHTF leads the implementation and monitoring of the WHO European Environment and Health Process (EHP) which ensures environmental and health issues are high on the political agenda, and supports the preparation of the Ministerial Conferences on Environment and Health. 

Ahead of the recent meeting of the WHO European Environment and Health Task Force, a briefing was held by the permanent representation of Hungary to the EU, where HEAL Executive Director Génon Jensen discussed HEAL’s perspectives on priorities and expectations from civil society. She called for action ahead of the Seventh Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health and offered a menu of issues that require ambitious and urgent policy action on environment and health in Europe, and in which the EU is poised to take a leadership role for the European region, as part of the implementation of the EU Green Deal, with its objective of zero pollution and do no harm at its core.

The Green 10 have sent a letter to Commissioner Breton, following a recent meeting of the group with him on boosting the green transition of the EU’s industry and upholding environmental and health safeguards - the letter focuses on the need to kickstart the revision of REACH, the EU chemicals regulatory framework, by June 2023, as well as Net Zero Industry and Critical Raw Materials Acts, where the Commission has to set clear conditions to respect climate, wider environmental, and social objectives.

While evidence of the existence of microplastics within our bodies exists, we currently do not know how they affect human health. This new Polyrisk flyer illustrates how this EU-funded project aims to advance the science of how MNPs in our environment impacts health, particularly in relation to the immune system.