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Clean energy will improve health of the world's poor mongabay.com September 12, 2007
Dr Paul Wilkinson of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the UK, and colleagues say that around two billion of the world's population are suffering adverse health effects due to lack of access to clean energy. These people are are exposed to high levels of indoor air pollution from the burning of natural biomass fuels. "The exploitation of fossil fuels is integral to modern living and has been a key element of the rapid technological, social, and cultural changes of the past 250 years. Although such changes have brought undeniable benefits, this exploitation has contributed to a burden of illness through pollution of local and regional environments, and is the dominant cause of climate change," they write, noting that the burden of climate change will fall most heavily on the world's poor.
The authors add that the richest populations use 20 times more energy per head than those in the poorest countries. The say the greatest challenge will be providing clean energy for the "further development of the world's poor whilst reducing emissions that cause ill-health and add to climate change." "Despite formidable challenges ahead, a shift towards an equitable distribution of energy based increasingly on renewable resources has the potential for major health dividends. Progress along that path is measurable," the authors conclude. A second paper, also published in The Lancet notes that renewable sources such as solar, wind and wave power create the smallest health burden. "Although these are complex and rapidly evolving issues, the key messages from a public health perspective are clear. Population health will substantially benefit from improved access to electricity and from modal switch away from fossil fuels towards renewable sources of electricity generation where possible," the authors of the second paper conclude. Comments? News options
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