Unless concerted action is taken by governments and economic stakeholders, this situation could worsen by 2040, in particular because of the rapid industrialization of developing countries, growing use of new materials and technologies, and the appearance of new pollutants and pharmaceutical molecules.
7.5 million
The number of premature deaths each year due to air pollution, the major risk factor according to the IEA, in 2040 (6.5 million in 2015).
$4.6 trillion
The annual cost of loss of well-being due to pollution, equivalent to 6.2% of the world’s generation of wealth.
Source : The Lancet.
10%
The loss of landbased biodiversity predicted by 2050 if nothing is done, with significant losses in Asia, Europe and southern Africa.
Source : OCDE.
Combating water, soil and air pollution
Veolia has for many years been an expert in treating pollution, including the most complex types. Several challenges will have to be taken up in the coming decades. For water, we will have to widely deploy techniques to treat mass pollutants in developing countries and micropollutants in developed countries. In order to take things a step further for soil remediation, we will need to systematically diagnose and characterize polluted sites and soil, and continue to develop more natural, less costly remediation techniques. Lastly, we will need to develop large-scale solutions to combat air pollution, which is a major environmental and health problem.
The links between health and the environment in 2040
The world can be more sustainable and free of impacts on our health.
Dr María Neira, Director of the Department of Public Health, and Environmental and Social Determinants of Health at the World Health Organization (WHO)
Breath of fresh air for the Sheraton Dubai
