Clean air, healthy future

Sustainable development is a broad term to describe policies, projects and investments that provide benefits today without sacrificing environmental, social and personal health in the future. These policies are often described as green because they focus on limiting the impact of development on the environment. However, the benefits of sustainable development are also felt across a wide cross section of human health and well-being, including reductions in pollution- and environment-related disease, improved health outcomes and decreased stress.

As the threats of climate change become increasingly important, win-win strategies for mitigation, health improvement and cost savings offer a range of advantages for various stakeholders. For example, greener health care operations can generate patient and worker health benefits while also saving energy, mitigating climate risks and creating long-term cost savings. The World Health Organization is committed to pursuing sustainable development in all its work to help protect the people of tomorrow from the health growing health risks of today