Hi everyone! This is another unplanned post I thought I could do since it’s recess week! I hope all of you are taking the time to rest, but also catch up on your assignments and submissions. On today’s post, I thought I could summarize some of the things I’ve noticed from doing research on the countries I have covered so far.
As mentioned by Larr & Neidel (2016), many countries that are going through rapid development often witness higher levels of pollution than countries that are already developed. These countries are mainly countries in the Global South. Also, equatorial regions are more likely to see warmer environmental conditions as a result of climate change. These regions tend to be homes to a much greater share of the poor nations of the Global South.
Children tend to suffer the most from pollution. Almost all the impacts of the main types of pollution (air, water, and land) affect their neurodevelopment, cognitive functioning, behaviour, and mental health. As argued by Perera (2017), unless our leaders act forcefully right now, the children of today and tomorrow will inherit an unsustainable world that lacks the ecological resources and social stability to support them. This is what Perera terms environmental injustice – the heavy health and economic burden brought by pollution fall disproportionately on the poor and the young, especially those from the Global South. They are the most vulnerable to the impacts of toxic pollutants.
This is a relatively short post but I just thought that I needed to include these reflections I made somewhere. That’s it for today’s post. Up next, my usual posts. See you in the next one! ✿
References
Larr, A.S. & Neidell, M. (2016) Pollution and Climate Change. The Future of Children. 26 (1), 93-113.
Perera, F. (2017) Pollution from Fossil-Fuel Combustion is the Leading Environmental Threat to Global Paediatric Health and Equity: Solutions Exist. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 15 (1), 16.