This year, there was a record deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, the largest tropical forest in the world. An area of 829 km² of forest fell to the ground, breaking a new negative record, a size equivalent to 82,900 football fields.
When we witness this scenario, we need to think about how all this impacts our lives, especially our health, which is closely linked to environmental conservation.
See below 3 ways in which we can have an impact on our health by taking care of nature:
Cleaner air, fewer respiratory diseases – A report from the World Health Organization shows that 90% of people breathe contaminated air in cities around the world and this has a direct impact on our health . The World Health Organization estimates that more than 7 million people a year experience respiratory problems or die as a result of inhaling unclean air. In the state of São Paulo alone, the cost of disease resulting from breathing polluted air is more than 200 million dollars per year. And we have recently seen how small periods of low use of cars and transport significantly improve the air in cities, there was an improvement of more than 25% in the air breathed in cities in social isolation.
More trees, lower temperatures and better thermal comfort – Who has never felt the relief of shade in the torrid heat of our tropical summer? Research by Revista FAPESP estimates that the sensation of thermal relief can be up to 20°C under the shade of a tree.
The difference in air temperature between the shade of a tree and the surrounding sun is around 2 degrees, a value that may seem small given the size of the refreshment we have. Furthermore, the treetops serve as filters, absorbing ultraviolet radiation, relieving the sensation of heat.
They avoid contact with unknown microorganisms – preserving forests and biomes in their natural form protects us from several pathogens that we still don’t know about, such as SARS – Cov -2, the virus that occurs naturally in bats and causes COVID-19 and it is transforming our days. UN data indicate that 75% of modern zoonoses – diseases of animal origin – occurred due to human contact with wild animal populations and in one way or another attacked humans: Ebola, dengue, COVID-19, SARS, MERS and others.
Finally, it became clear that ensuring the maintenance of ecosystems means fewer diseases for the human population and fewer social and financial impacts.
It is up to everyone to look at their routine and see what can be changed and how we can help the environment and, consequently, improve the population’s health and reduce the government’s healthcare costs.
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