write an article about earth's emotions about pollution
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We are exposed to it every day, and it is silently killing us. Cycling to work, I breathe the fumes from the cars surrounding me. Drinking from my tap, I am consuming microplastics. Eating my food, I am likely exposed to trace chemicals used in its production. Pollution is pervasive, and we have come to accept it as a by-product of industrialization. It’s time to wake up to its negative impacts on our health and economy.
Last week, the Lancet Commission on pollution and health launched a seminal report that named pollution as the largest environmental cause of disease and premature death in the world today. It states that diseases caused by pollution were responsible for an estimated nine million premature deaths in 2015—16% of all deaths worldwide. This is three times more deaths than from AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined. It is 15 times more than from all wars and other forms of violence. Furthermore, the welfare losses due to pollution have been estimated at more than US$4.6 trillion per year, which is equivalent to 6.2% of global economic output. The poorest countries suffer the most, with 92% of all pollution-related deaths happening in low- and middle-income countries. Children and the elderly are hit the hardest.
These numbers are staggering. So what can we do to act?
Global estimated deaths by major risk factor and cause, 2015
Image: The Lancet Commission on pollution and health
Innovation and design
Design is critical for preventing pollution in the first place. This is about the materials that go into the products we use, the fuels that power our homes and vehicles, the nutrients that help our food grow. Decisions that happen in the design phase will at some point impact every one of us, though perhaps not visibly. Designing in congruence with nature can prevent pollution. It is possible in every sector. Consider the Balbo Group, Brazil’s largest organic sugarcane grower. It has revitalised ecosystems, achieved higher yields, and created an industrial farming model that functions as well as nature itself.
Or consider Fairphone. Though currently small-scale, it is an example of designing to eliminate waste and toxicity upstream, while enabling modularity for a longer product life and easier repair. These approaches have proven both possible and profitable.