Healthy environments: why do they matter and what can we do?
Overview
This document aims to provide the rationale for action to improve health through healthy environments,
and an overview of key actions to take. It aims to support policy-makers and others who can influence health
determinants to navigate through the various environmental health areas. These actors can thus obtain a brief
overview of preventive, intersectoral action in this area to achieve sustainable health gains and reduce health
care costs. The document provides an initial overview and overall policy directions, and refers to more detailed
information for the next steps.
This document is structured as follows. For each topic, a brief overview is provided of the main health impacts
caused by environmental factors, key actions to create healthier environments, and WHO support to countries
and communities. Part I covers key environmental risks to health, such as air pollution or inadequate water
supply; Part II describes the main settings for implementing action, such as workplaces or cities. To facilitate
the implementation of health-protective measures across sectors, the Health in All Policies framework is
presented.
The topics were selected to capture the most relevant actions for health improvement, which are
of global relevance, and on which we have sufficient information on impacts and actions required.
At the end of each topic, a list of sectoral policies interacting with the topic is presented. Although not
exhaustive, these examples highlight where cooperation with other sectors may be required to sustainably
reduce risks to health. For example, it may not be possible to achieve clean air without cooperating with
the energy sector on cleaner energy solutions, the transport sector on healthy and sustainable transport
solutions, or the agriculture sector to take measures to stop burning crop waste. Additional sectors to those
cited may be relevant, such as education, which is pertinent to many health and environment areas.
Data provided in this document refer to the year 2016 unless stated otherwise.
