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Food Cooperatives

The Relationship Between Sustainability and Health

Posted on February 1, 2021January 22, 2023

The Paris Agreement of 2016 was different. Not only because countries finally agreed to do something against the climate crisis, but is also had a different perspective. The Paris Agreement doesn’t just focus on climate change and its effects. Sounds crazy? Well, not entirely. Not everybody sees the urgency to do something against the climate crisis immediately and so we need to show the other benefits as well! There are many, but today I am talking about the benefits of a sustainable world for our health. I want to discuss the relationship between sustainability and health.

Slow Change

The arguments I am sharing today are almost impossible to encounter. There are people who think the climate crisis is not urgent. They obviously don’t know the facts and the science, but still, these people are around. Unfortunately, these people also are in the highest positions in politics around the world. Of course this is a massive problem. That’s the reason why we should also address other problems concerning our current economical system. It’s one thing to say: we don’t need to act on the climate crisis. However, it’s a completely different thing to not want health for everybody on the planet. I mean, who wouldn’t want clean air and less heart attacks? You just can’t encounter the argument of health.

Global Level

We could decrease the number of deaths per year enormously if we implement climate policy. Here’s some of the diseases/problems which are related to the climate crisis.

Air Pollution. Clean energy would also mean clean air. I mean, who doesn’t want clean air? If we switch to renewable energy we could improve the air quality to unprecedented levels. 5 million people die premature from air pollution each year. 5 million lives we could save, every year. Along with that comes the diseases, air pollution makes people sick and decreases their quality of life. It’s one of the biggest risks on poor health. So, we die earlier and have lower quality of life because of air pollution. This could all be lowered if our economy switched to renewable energy (Source).

Obesity. Another big killer. Obesity often doesn’t come alone. People who are heavily obese often have high blood pressure or diabetes as well. Obesity is also a great risk for developing cancer. 4.7 million people die premature from obesity each year. If we may believe the World Health Organization obesity is the result of 2 things. 1. an increase of calories by food that are high in sugar or fat. Now, what food is bad for the planet, is consumed a lot in the countries where people suffer most from obesity and has a high amount of calories and fat? Right, animal products.

Going vegan

As you might know, going vegan is one of the best things you can do for the planet. It’s also amazing for your health. The second thing that the WHO considers a massive contributor to obesity is the fact that we are less active. Society is highly urbanized and therefore we are less active. We use cars to move around instead of biking or walking. We sit all day at the office instead of moving around. The most sustainable thing to do is also the healthiest thing to do. (Source and Source). *

The lack of green. One of the most promising ways to do something about the climate crisis is to take CO2 from the air. Which organisms do this best? Right, plants. We need more green areas! Not only in the form of nature reserves (where animals would also thrive which would be good for diversity and therefore for us), but also in cities. We need to arrange our cities different for a sustainable future. Green roofs, more parks and nature areas, urban farming, etc. This is not only good when combating climate change, it’s also good for our health. A green environment can reduce stress, can stimulate people to move and make people interact with each other, to name a few example. (Source).

‘5 million people die premature from air pollution each year‘

Our World in Data

Personal Level

These are just a few examples on a global level. There are more example to be named, some small, some big. I hope you get my point. If we have a sustainable future, we have a healthy future. However, I want to say something about this issue on a personal level. I think every step you take to a more sustainable lifestyle brings you health on a personal level too.

If you bike more than drive by car you’ll exercise more, which is better for your health. Also, if you go vegan you’ll have a lower blood pressure and often a lower fat percentage, which is better for your health. If your house or neighborhood contains a lot of plants and green you’ll have less stress, which is better for your health. Maybe it seems impossible to tackle something like air pollution on a global level, but remember that every personal step you takes benefits you personally! We can create a future by combating the climate crisis while we’ll be helping ourselves at the same time. We must recognize that there’s a relationship between sustainability and health.

*I am not writing this to fat-shame or create fat-phobia. There is nothing wrong with someone who is heavily obese, let me be clear. I hope to emphasize that the system we live in makes us highly vulnerable to develop obesity and that this brings risks along.

What do you think of the relationship between sustainability and health?

Yours sincerely,
Romee

3 thoughts on “The Relationship Between Sustainability and Health”

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ABOUT ME

 

when a teen goes green

Hi! My name is Romee Hoeksma and I am on a journey to an eco-positive life. An eco-positive lifestyle is a lifestyle in which I have a more positive than negative impact on the beautiful planet earth. On this blog you can follow my journey to a life with only positive impact. At this blog you can find all sorts of things, from tips to recipes to personal experiences, but most of all fun (I hope!). I write about how I want to change the world, but don’t look at it as if I’m judging you. If anything, I like responses from my dear readers the most, so don’t hesitate to contact me or respond to any of my posts!

Yours sincerely,
Romee

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Vandaag een artikel op mijn blog over Pieter Pot. Een webshop voor verpakkingsvrije boodschappen πŸ₯œ. Een geweldig concept die jou helpt je afval te verminderen Γ©n er ook nog eens heel goed uit ziet in je keuken #nospon. Je leest het nu via de link in mijn bio. Een greep uit de vegan maaltijden die ik at in mei 2023 πŸ§†. Als ik zo terugkijk heb ik de italiaanse weer helemaal ontdekt, haha! Maar het hoogtepunt was wel echt de vegan, zero waste, kaassaus die ik maakte voor over de nachoschotel 🫘. Welke vegan ijs-, toetjes- of yoghurtproducten zijn het lekkerst? Ik zette het voor je op een rijtje in een artikel die vanaf vandaag te lezen is 🍧. Je vindt de link in mijn bio. Spoiler: deze van Hertog staat er zeker tussen! #plantaardig #vegan #blogger ✨ 4 tweedehands outfits die ik droeg in mei 2023 πŸ‘—. Ik had op iets beter weer en iets koudere outfits gehoopt, maar goed, dat schuiven we dan maar naar juni! Ik ben poepdonor πŸ’©. Ja, Γ©cht. Ik doe mee met een wetenschappelijk onderzoek waarbij mijn darmflora gebruikt wordt om mensen met een leveraandoening te genezen. Ik ben zo blij met de positieve impact die ik hiermee kan maken! En ik krijg er nog betaald voor ook. Meer weten? Lees het artikel dat ik erover schreef via de link in mijn bio. Binnenkort zal ik er ook een Youtube-video aan wijden. #donor #positieveimpact #nafldnashresearch Minimaliseren en ontspullen blijft een ongoing process πŸ“¦. Ik vind dat ik niet al te veel spullen heb, maar toch geef ik nog geregeld spullen weg aan de kringloopwinkel. In deze reel laat ik de laatste 5 items aan je zien. Plantaardiger eten hoeft niet moeilijk te zijn, je moet net even weten welke producten vegan zijn. Vandaag deel ik een makkelijke swap voor mayonaise 🍟. Het is weer mei! En dat betekent dat er weer een artikel met podcast-tips op mijn blog staat (de vijfde in de reeks inmiddels!). Vandaag lees je over 4 podcasts die ik aan bijna iedereen zou aanraden 🎧. 5 vegan maaltijden die ik at in april 2023 πŸ₯™. En ja, Γ©cht alles is vegan. Want elk gerecht is te veganizen.

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  • Zero waste groceries at Pieter Pot
  • The best vegan ice-cream, desserts and yoghurt
  • I am a poop donor
  • Why I never light candles
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