Health and Environment in Cities - ITechnical World

 

The basic human needs are food, water, clean air, shelter. For all this, we depend on nature. The health of nature is indistinguishable from human health. 

Article: Sibel BÜLAY

According to various sources, Homo sapi ens sapiens, that is, modern man, has lived on Earth for about 300,000 years [This process includes the Pleistocene and Holocene (last 11,500 years) periods]. Today, the scientific community ( developed and understood by Biologist Eugene Stormer and Chemist Paul Crutzen ) says we are in the Anthropocene Age. The Anthropocene Age is an informal unit of geological time used to describe the most recent period in world history when human activities began to have a significant impact on the planet's climate and ecosystems . According to the Anthropocene Working Group, this age is;It began in 1950 with the Great Acceleration , which meant a dramatic increase in human activity affecting the planet .

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) considers the beginning of the Anthropocene Era as the year 1750, with the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in relation to changes in greenhouse gases . That is, man lived in harmony with nature, except for the last 70 years (or the last 270 years according to the IPCC). But today, humans have the capacity to change the ecosystem , and unfortunately, as a result of using this capacity, we are doing serious harm to our health and the health of the planet. Many global assessments suggest that accelerating change in the structure and function of the earth 's natural systems poses a significant threat to human health. emphasizes. These include UNEP's “Global Environment Out look” 4 and 5; and the IPCC's “Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. There are “Part A: global and sectoral aspects” reports .

Health

The World Health Organization defines health as “ a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity ” . According to the report published by the World Health Organization in 2006 , one-quarter of the global disease burden and more than one-third of the burden in children can be attributed to environmental factors. Pollution is the biggest environmental cause of illness and death today. It is assumed that air pollution caused 9 million premature deaths in 2015 . According to Professor Andy Haines from the London School of Hygiene , “Climate change is in the near future. will become the greatest threat to human health”. Fossil fuel use is the cause of both air pollution and the climate crisis. On the other hand, at the COP26 meeting, where climate change is discussed, the issue of health is not given much attention. Again, according to Professor Haines, “Ministers of transport and energy are now considered to have assumed the duties of health ministers”.

Cities and Health

Wide-ranging changes in the structure and function of natural systems are due to cities where more than 50% of the population lives. The main sectors causing environmental problems in urbanization are energy, built environment (land use and construction), transportation, water and waste.

Energy: This topic has been written a lot. We should abandon fossil fuels and move towards renewable energy sources, but infrastructure costs prevent this. According to a study conducted at Princeton University, there is an investment of 7.8 trillion-13.9 trillion dollars in 30 years. Yes, this is a huge investment. (To question our priorities: $139 billion was spent on arms purchases, and $100 billion on weapons research and development in 2020. The estimated economic loss from natural disasters worldwide in 2020 is $268 billion. What if we invest the billions invested in weapons into renewable energy?!)

The built environment: The effects of buildings on nature touch many different sectors . 40% of global energy is consumed in buildings. “23% of air pollution , 50% of climate change, 40% of drinking water pollution and 50% of landfill waste comes from the construction sector”. The built environment causes the formation of heat islands . Heat islands increase energy consumption and cause health problems. The replacement of green land and agricultural areas with concrete structures causes more heat absorption and natural It causes a decrease in evaporation from non-allerated surfaces . The energy balance of the city changes many meteorological parameters such as the annual average precipitation, the prevailing wind direction of the city and the average wind strength, and creates the urban heat island effect. When Terkos and Pendik are compared, we see that the temperature difference is up to 4 degrees .

Transportation: Much has been written about the effects of emissions from transportation on the climate . In Turkey's 30 metropolitan cities, greenhouse gas emissions in 2019 reached 70,271 million tons of CO2 . 14% of emissions come from urban transport . The health impact of emissions from transportation is also huge; increases the risk of cardiopulmonary and respiratory diseases . It prevents lung development in children . On the other hand, walking and cycling, which we call active transportation, are important for health . heart disease, obesity, depression and reduces anxiety. It increases blood flow, contributes to regulating sugar and blood pressure. Professor Moreno argues that walking or cycling in the neighborhood contributes to socialization, it also revitalizes the neighborhood culture and improves the individual's sense of belonging. This makes you feel good (You can read about it on EKOIQ: A Brilliant Idea: 15 Minute Cities).

Water: Much has been written on the link between water and health . Dr. I think Dilek Aslan's report sums up the subject sufficiently : “A Right to Health: Clean Water”. As the population of cities increases, water consumption increases and their own resources are insufficient. For this reason, the water resources in the vicinity are transferred to the cities with great investments : such as bringing water to Istanbul from Melen. Dams harm nature and cause social injustice . “Dams increase the impact of climate change. It releases greenhouse gases, destroys carbon sinks in wetlands , deprives ecosystems of nutrients , It destroys habitats, raises sea levels , wastes water, destroys biodiversity and displaces poor communities ” . The issue of saving in water use is very important, but public awareness on this issue should be increased. The decision of the Kadıköy Municipality Council is a good example: It has been made obligatory to construct “rain water and gray water collection tanks” for the buildings to be built in Kadıköy . March last year The mucilage problem in the Mara Sea revealed our inadequacy and insensitivity in water purification. According to WWF's Turkey's Water Risks Report, “Urban pollution has a large share in the pollution of groundwater resources in Turkey”.

Waste: Sources of the waste problem; our consumption habits and the construction industry. The World Bank estimates that 3.4 billion tons of waste will be produced annually by 2050. There is no such thing as waste in nature: the output of each process is the input of another process. Based on this, we see that cities are working on the circular economy in the fight against waste.

The City and Health: A Systems Perspective Cities are complex socioecological systems with subsystems such as environment and health. Within this structure, the trio of urbanization, environment and health forms a positive feedback system . In other words, when one of the elements of the system changes, the interactions within the system cause this change to increase. Let's take the expansion of the city to the peripheries as an example :

As the population of the city increases, it spreads to the peripheries . As it spreads, the public transport system turns into an inefficient investment and car use is on the rise. More and more cars are emitting greenhouse gases and the climate crisis is escalating. As the use of cars increases, road construction increases and the ecological structure deteriorates, forests are destroyed. As the use of cars increases, inactivity increases; obesity and its associated health problems are increasing. As car use increases, respiratory diseases increase along with urban air pollution . As the city expands and road construction and construction increases, the ecological structure is deteriorated and forests are destroyed . Climate crisis as forests are destroyedGrowing. As the climate crisis grows, cases of heat stroke ( damage to brain, heart, kidney and muscle tissue) and deaths increase . As the air pollution increases in the city, people are fleeing the cities and spreading to the peripheries increases, etc., etc. As you can see, human health in cities is deeply linked to the health of the ecosystem .

A Few Tips to Make Cities Healthier and More Sustainable :

1. Promoting urban agriculture. It reduces greenhouse gas emissions by shortening supply chains and improves access to nutritious food . Today , one of the main reasons for the expensiveness of fresh vegetables and fruits in our cities is the cost of fuel . Also, this is our cultural heritage: Istanbul Bostanları: 1500 Years of Agricultural Cultural Heritage.

2. Increasing green spaces for healthier environments and improved lifestyles . We know that trees are effective against climate crisis and health problems by improving air quality . Green spaces reduce urban temperatures and encourage physical activity. Lisa Van Susteren, Founder of the Climate Psychiatry Alliance , emphasizes that being in nature is very important for health : “Blood pressure drops, respiratory rate slows, cognition improves”. Susteren also explains that we are more altruistic and generous when we are in natural settings.

3. To strengthen the ties of cities with rural areas . Cities and urban areas do not function separately from rural areas. In fact, it is heavily dependent on the countryside around them. Cities depend heavily on neighboring rural areas for food, labour, water supply, and waste of food. Here we can give an example from İzmir: İzmir Metropolitan Municipality supports the dissemination of healthy, environmentally friendly, sustainable agricultural production and animal husbandry in rural areas and their delivery to the people of İzmir. In this way, rural development is supported by creating employment areas in agriculture and healthy, safe and nutritious food supply is provided to the people of İzmir.

For a Healthy and Sustainable City

In summary, if we want to live in a healthy and sustainable city:

• Health and environment issues should be emphasized in urban governance and city planning ,
• A healthy and sustainable lifestyle should be adopted,
• Greenhouse gas emissions should be reduced,
• The use of walking, cycling and public transport should be encouraged,
• Green building standards should be applied in the construction sector,
• Circular economy should be adopted and disseminated,
• Every neighborhood should have green spaces,
• The principle of sustainability should be considered in the use of natural resources,
• The natural ecosystem should be protected,
  
• The degraded ecological environment should be returned/improved.

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment We can list the damages caused by human pressure on the environment to the ecosystem as follows.

• climate change,
• depletion of the ozone layer,
• Cutting down forests and degradation of vegetation,
• Soil degradation and desertification,
• wetland loss,
• biodiversity loss,
• Depletion and pollution of fresh water resources,
• The effects of urbanization,
• Damage to coastal reefs and ecosystems.

Human pressure on the environment also has negative effects on health.

Direct Health Effects

Floods, heat waves, water scarcity, landslides, exposure to ultraviolet radiation, exposure to pollutants.

Ecosystem Mediated Health Effects

Infectious diseases, malnutrition and stunting resulting from reductions in food production, depletion of natural medicines, effects of social and individual mental health, aesthetic or cultural impoverishment.

Indirect, Deferred and Displaced Health Effects

Health problems caused by loss of livelihood, displacement of population, conflict, wrong strategies in the face of crises. The basic human needs are food, water, clean air, shelter. For all this, we depend on nature. The health of nature is indistinguishable from human health.