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.@UN report warns that cities and regions in Asia, middle-east and Africa could see millions of premature deaths by 2050 if the nations fail to drastically scale up environmental protection measures.

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Photo: Rahul Gayakwad/BCCL/Kolhapur

Flagging the deadly impact of #AirPollution and #WaterPollution that annually claims at least nine million lives globally, a new @UN report calls for urgent action to save humanity from the disastrous consequences of environmental degradation.

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The report warns that #WaterPollution alone will become the number one cause of death in the world by 2050.

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The report also highlighted that the fresh water system will see anti-microbial resistance due to pollutants, saying it will not only cause human deaths but also disrupt endocrine, impacting male and female fertility, as well as child neuro-development.

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Produced by 250 scientists and experts from more than 70 countries including India, this report was released on the sidelines of the ongoing UN Environment Assembly at Nairobi in Kenya.

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Besides sharing its findings on impact of air and water pollution, the report, sixth Global Environmental Outlook, also presented shocking figures of edible food wastage with rich nations being the biggest culprits while the poor ones struggled to feed their growing population.

One-third of global edible food is wasted and 56% of such waste happens in industrialised countries, noting that “reducing food waste in developed & developing countries, would reduce need to increase food production by 50% to feed the projected 9-10Bn people on Earth in 2050”.

“We are at a crossroads. Do we continue on our current path, which will lead to a bleak future for humankind,or do we pivot to a more sustainable development pathway? That is the choice our political leaders must make, now” said Joyce Msuya, executive director of @UNEnvironment.

.@UN body had come out with its first Global Environment Outlook (GEO) in 1997. The sixth one has been released while top government representatives from across the globe are participating in the @UNEnvironment Assembly which is the world’s highest level of environmental forum.

At present, the world is not on track to meet the @UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030 or 2050, it said, “Urgent action is required now, as any delay in #ClimateAction increases the cost of achieving the goals of the #ParisAgreement.”

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