Pollution by states and companies is contributing to more deaths globally than COVID-19, a UN environmental report published on Tuesday last week said, calling for “immediate and ambitious action” to ban some toxic chemicals.
The report said pollution from pesticides, plastics and electronic waste is causing widespread human rights violations and at least 9 million premature deaths a year, and that the issue is largely being overlooked.
The coronavirus pandemic has caused close to 5.9 million deaths, according to data aggregator Worldometer.
Photo: Reuters 照片：路透
“Current approaches to managing the risks posed by pollution and toxic substances are clearly failing, resulting in widespread violations of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment,” the report’s author, UN Special Rapporteur David Boyd, concluded.
Due to be presented next month to the UN Human Rights Council, which has declared a clean environment a human right, the document was posted on the Council’s Web site on Tuesday last week.
It urges a ban on polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl, man-made substances used in household products such as non-stick cookware that have been linked to cancer and dubbed “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down easily.
Photo: AFP 照片：法新社
It also seeks the clean-up of polluted sites and, in extreme cases, the possible relocations of affected communities — many of them poor, marginalized and indigenous — from so-called “sacrifice zones.”
That term, originally used to describe nuclear test zones, was expanded in the report to include any heavily contaminated site or place rendered uninhabitable by climate change.
UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet has called environmental threats the biggest global rights challenge, and a growing number of climate and environmental justice cases are invoking human rights with success.
Chemical waste is set to be part of negotiations at a UN environment conference in Nairobi, Kenya, starting on Monday next week, including a proposal to establish a devoted panel, similar to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
(Reuters)
聯合國上週二發布的一份環境報告指出，各國與企業造成的污染，在全球所導致的死亡人數超過死於COVID-19的人數，因此呼籲「立即採取大刀闊斧的行動」禁用一些有毒化學品。
該報告說，農藥、塑膠及電子廢棄物所造成的污染，造成大規模人權侵犯，每年至少有九百萬人過早死亡，而且此問題多半被忽視了。
根據資料整合網站Worldometer之數據，冠狀病毒大流行已造成近五百九十萬人死亡。
該報告作者、聯合國特別報告員大衛‧波伊德總結道：「目前對污染及有毒物質的風險管理方法顯然是失敗的，導致我們擁有清潔、健康及永續環境的權利被廣泛侵犯」。
該報告已於上週二發佈在聯合國人權理事會網站，將於下月送交理事會──該理事會宣示擁有潔淨環境為人權。
該報告敦促禁用多氟烷基和全氟烷基，這些人造物質用於家用產品例如不沾廚具，這些物質與癌症有關，且被稱為「永久化學品」，因其不易分解。
它還呼籲清理被污染的地方，在極端情況下，可能將受影響的社區──其中許多是貧困、社會邊緣人及原住民──搬離所謂的「犧牲區」。
「犧牲區」這術語原指核子試爆場，此報告將其定義擴及任何因氣候變化或嚴重污染而不適人居的地方。
聯合國人權事務負責人蜜雪兒‧巴舍萊將環境威脅稱為全球最大的人權挑戰，越來越多援引人權的氣候與環境司法案件取得成功。
化學廢棄物問題將納入二月二十八日起在肯亞奈洛比舉行的聯合國環境會議中談判，包括建立一個類似「政府間氣候變化專門委員會」之專門小組的提案。
（台北時報林俐凱編譯）
In Cape Town, South Africa, a fresh influx of inhabitants is causing a stir. Known as “digital nomads,” these individuals are transforming the city’s environment and sparking debates around urban growth and the welfare of local communities. By definition, digital nomads are professionals who exploit advanced technology to facilitate remote work while embracing a nomadic lifestyle — all without disrupting their careers. Frequently moving between locations, these nomads primarily work in sectors such as technology, creative industries and consultancy, which are particularly conducive to remote operations. This working trend has grown in popularity following the COVID-19 pandemic, with an increasing number
A: Who are nominated for Best Leading Actor at the Golden Horse Awards? B: The nominees are: Jason King, Chang Chen, Neo Yau, Wanlop Rungkumjad and Zhang Zhiyong. A: How about Best Leading Actress? B: The nominees are: Patra Au, Kimi Hsia, Chung Suet-ying, Sylvia Chang and Sandra Ng. A: What are your predictions for the winners this year? A: 本屆金馬獎入圍最佳男主角的有誰啊？ B: 入圍的有：喜翔、張震、游學修、Wanlop Rungkumjad、張志勇。 A: 入圍最佳女主角的呢？ B: 入圍的有：區嘉雯、夏于喬、鍾雪瑩、張艾嘉、吳君如。 A: 今年你預測誰會得獎？ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
It’s likely that you may know someone who has had their appendix removed, or at least you’ve heard of the operation. An appendectomy is typically performed when the appendix, a small pouch next to the intestines, becomes inflamed or infected, leading to severe pain and potential complications if left untreated. Fortunately, the procedure is very safe today, and patients can go on to live normal lives without their appendix. Yet, it still begs the question of how humans can continue living without an organ. The human body is full of various parts that scientists still don’t completely understand, and
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