Around the world, asthma, heart disease, lung diseases are skyrocketing. Over 90 per cent of people breathe air that exceeds WHO air quality limits and threatens their health. A heating world is seeing mosquitos spread diseases further and faster than ever before. Extreme weather events, land degradation and water scarcity are displacing people and affecting their health. Pollution and plastics are found at the bottom of our deepest oceans, the highest mountains and have made their way into our food chain. Systems to produce ultra-processed, unhealthy foods and beverage are driving a wave of obesity, increasing cancer and heart disease while generating a third of greenhouse gas emissions.
Breaking these cycles of destruction for the planet and human health requires government action, corporate reform and individuals to be supported and incentivized to make healthy choices.
World Health Day is celebrated in April each year, on the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization. To mark the day this year, the WHO China office teamed up with the wider UN country team to ‘walk the talk’ by taking a day in nature to be physically active and hike around the beautiful Miaofeng area outside of Beijing, while at the same time protecting the planet by picking up rubbish. More than 80 staff and their families from across the UN system joined in the day.