The Silent Threat: Exploring pollution’s impact on health | GHF2024

This session of the Geneva Health Forum is organized with the support of the Geneva Environment Network.

Geneva Health Forum

The Geneva Health Forum (GHF) is the forum that brings together key stakeholders to help find solutions to global health challenges. Created in 2006, the forum is organized every two years by the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) and the University of Geneva in partnership with 30 global multisectoral organizations, with the overall goal to contribute to improving health and care access in the world.

The Geneva Health Forum gathers from 27 to 29 May 2024 to tackle crucial issues linked to health such as pollution, climate change, how to operationalize concepts such as “One Health” or “Planetary Health”, environmental drivers for pandemics, antibiotic resistance, and many more.

Geneva Health Forum 2024

About this Session

Environmental pollution poses significant risks to both our physical and mental well-being. While the adverse effects of air, water, and soil pollution are well-documented in scientific literature, emerging concerns such as pollution from microplastics and chemicals are only now coming to light.

Yet, gaining a comprehensive understanding of the issue remains challenging due to the complexity of ecological interactions. Moreover, certain industrial lobbies often undermine discussions by downplaying the harmful effects of pollution or questioning scientific evidence.

This session aims to foster a shared understanding of the situation and to compile a comprehensive inventory of initiatives aimed at mitigating the health impacts of pollution. Through the presentation of concrete examples, we will seek to quantify the mortality and morbidity associated with pollution, with a particular focus on low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Additionally, we will explore the potential for addressing pollution to reverse its adverse effects on health and the environment.