International health group calls for ban on coal, urges action by governments and institutions

International health group calls for ban on coal, urges action by governments and institutions

Calling coal a “lethal product,” the World Federation of Public Health Associations issued a Call to Ban Coal for Electricity Production.

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South Africa | Environment Minister upholds that power company must comply with air pollution regulations

South Africa | Environment Minister upholds that power company must comply with air pollution regulations

Photo: © Mujahid Safodien-Greenpeace

Health Care Without Harm’s partner in South Africa, groundWork, as part of a coalition of community and civil society organizations, achieved an incremental victory for public health in the highly polluted Mpumalanga Highveld region when South Africa’s Environment Minister rejected the public power company Eskom’s objection to complying with air pollution regulations and upheld the enforcement action against the utility’s Kendal power station.

In her decision, Environment Minister Barbara Creecy stated that she is “mindful of the fact that failure to …

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India | Report: Korba’s coal communities suffer twice the normal respiratory diseases in times of COVID-19

India | Report: Korba’s coal communities suffer twice the normal respiratory diseases in times of COVID-19

Korba’s coal communities suffer from twice the normal respiratory diseases in times of COVID19: SHRC Chhattisgarh

3 April 2020, New Delhi/Raipur: Chhattisgarh’s State Health Resource Centre (SHRC) releases a new study which assesses the health impact on communities in Korba living near coal-fired thermal power plants. The study affirms the hypothesis that the population living near thermal power plants has greater exposure to particulate matter resulting in higher respiratory illnesses than the general population. At a time when the country is in a lockdown …

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South Africa | groundWork releases report on Just Transition, highlights health vulnerabilities and opportunities

South Africa | groundWork releases report on Just Transition, highlights health vulnerabilities and opportunities

In March Health Care Without Harm’s partner in South Africa, groundWork, together with its Life After Coal partners the Centre for Environmental Rights and EarthLife Africa JHB, launched their 2019 report titled Down to Zero: The politics of just transition.

The Down to Zero report examines the urgent need to respond to climate change, create a truly democratic and participatory order, and share our work and the wealth of the land.

Health is discussed throughout the report, including the range of health risks arising from climate change and air pollution, which …

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Philippines | Iloilo Hospital launches air quality monitoring to protect public health

Philippines | Iloilo Hospital launches air quality monitoring to protect public health

Originally published by Health Care Without Harm Southeast Asia.

Iloilo City – Environment and health advocates led by St. Paul de Chartres, Health Care Without Harm and Philippine College of Chest Physicians gathered today at St. Paul’s Hospital Iloilo to discuss impacts of air pollution on the environment.

Among the topics discussed are the sources of air pollution in Iloilo such as transport and coal plants.

“Plenty of patients are coming from the area where the coal plant is, and all of them are getting sick…”  Dr. Helen Caro-Pastolero, …

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India | Air Pollution Chokes Chennai – Doctors For Clean Air Urge City’s Inclusion in National Clean Air Programme

India | Air Pollution Chokes Chennai – Doctors For Clean Air Urge City’s Inclusion in National Clean Air Programme

Air quality in all 15 locations sampled from across the city between May and July 2019 was unhealthy, with levels of PM 2.5 in the worst affected areas nearly three times the national standard of 60 ug/m3, according to a study released by Healthy Energy Initiative and Doctors for Clean Air-Tamil Nadu. The widespread nature of pollution and the fact that the samples were taken in summer highlights how the current pollution crisis is neither an isolated nor a seasonal incident. The study analysed 24-hour …

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South Africa | Health sector must join debate on climate change

South Africa | Health sector must join debate on climate change

It must amplify message after reports that global air pollution is behind many deaths

Op-ed by Rico Euripidou, groundWork, Healthy Energy Initiative partner in South Africa, published in The Mercury, October 14, 2019

The time is now for the health sector to join the environmental and climate debate!

A report has confirmed that the health impacts of coal-fired power plants in South Africa create a substantial burden on human health, leading to 2 239 equivalent attributable deaths annually. | African News Agency

For community people air pollution has since the …

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Europe | #BeyondCoal: Launch of healthy energy campaign

Europe | #BeyondCoal: Launch of healthy energy campaign

On September 24, the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) launched the Prescription for a Healthy Energy Future for Europe, to shine a light on the health benefits the transformation of the energy sector will bring, and bring to the forefront those areas where change is urgently needed. We will eventually include transport and food production as well.

Over the next weeks, HEAL will be showcasing evidence and stories of 20 of Europe’s most health-problematic coal power plants, and developing solutions together with health experts and those …

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India | Health assessments mandatory for new thermal plants

The inclusion by the Union environment ministry of mandatory baseline health assessments and periodic health monitoring as a standard condition for all Environmental Clearances for Thermal Power Plants is a welcome first step, according to Healthy Energy Initiative, a coalition of health sector professionals, environmental groups and community organisations advocating for health-based choice of energy sources.

Health — the most important criteria of well-being — has been noticeably absent from EIA processes in India. The inclusion of health assessments is an indication that the concept of …

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Philippines | Health Department & Frontline Communities Gather to Discuss Revival of Health Impact Assessment

Philippines | Health Department & Frontline Communities Gather to Discuss Revival of Health Impact Assessment

Frontline communities from various mining, coal and waste districts in the Philippines gathered last Friday to meet with Department of Health (DOH) in an aim to revive the Health Impact Assessment (HIA) in light of the influx of environmentally-critical projects in the country.

According to the Department of Health (DOH), HIA is a means for determining the potential and lived health impacts of (1) public policies and (2) development projects in a wide array of sectors. It uses qualitative, quantitative and/or participatory techniques that can provide evidence-based …

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