EPA & WHO Strengthen Partnership to Combat Environmental Challenges
The EPA and the WHO have signed another five-year memorandum of understanding to continue their collaboration on issues related to health and the environment. This agreement further expands the 29 year partnership between the two agencies and looks to address rising environmental-health problems related to the climate crisis.
In the past, these two agencies have successfully collaborated to create initiatives that combat environmental challenges such as ocean pollution and the use of leaded gasoline, as well as encourage policy action that will facilitate the transition to a sustainable economy. The EPA has stated that collaborations between public health and environmental groups are vital to address complex challenges presented by climate change. The efforts undertaken by these two organizations have established a minimum standard for protocols and responses to health risks related to the environment, and now looks to expand this to the effects of climate change.
Quality Guidelines
The EPA and the WHO have already successfully carried out initiatives to inform individuals and policy makers of health risks associated with certain activities. While some may be the product of obvious risks, such as the global air quality guidelines, the agencies have also created a series of workshops to provide information on polluting stoves and clean cooking technology.
This project successfully contributed to sustainable development as well as poverty reduction efforts around the world, a goal which both the EPA and WHO have made a priority in areas where pollution has the potential to travel across the borders of a country. Preventing this kind of pollution through financial aid and information dissemination is considered vital in the efforts to establish a global sustainable economy. These organizations also worked together to develop the global initiative, Children's Environmental Health Indicators, which looks to increase international cooperation on issues affecting children's health, regardless of location. These initiatives have assisted in improvements to human health and overall environmental quality through accessible information and capacity building efforts.
Future Efforts
The renewed agreement looks to continue cooperation related to climate change in addition to air quality, water sanitation, toxic chemicals, and electronic waste and radiation. The EPA provides ongoing technical expertise to review and revise the WHO's guidelines for monitoring air pollution, and assisted in creating the WHO’s Chemical Risk Assessment Network which looks to identify emerging health risks.
The two agencies also are continuing their work evaluating water quality in order to ensure continuous access to safe drinking water. This project, as well as their guidelines of water sanitation, aim to protect communities from climate change related effects on water systems which could affect human health.
These projects hope to work towards a more sustainable world in an equitable manner, while also preparing for the predicted and present effects of climate change. As the health related effects of the climate crisis grows, we can expect to see the EPA and WHO continue working in close collaboration.
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