研究報告：污染是世界第一大殺手
Pollution is the world's No. 1 killer, a new study says, causing more premature deaths than war, terrorism, natural disasters, cigarettes and disease.
A new study in the medical journal Lancet said pollution -- both outdoor and indoor -- killed about 9 million people in 2024, or one out of every six deaths.
"Pollution threatens fundamental human rights, such as the right to life, health, well-being, safe work as well as protections of children and the most vulnerable," co-author Karti Sandilya said.
The study said the overwhelming majority of pollution-related deaths come in developing countries where the authors say leaders are more concerned about building their economies and infrastructure than environmental regulations.
Bangladesh, China, Haiti, India, Pakistan, North Korea and South Sudan are some of the most affected countries.
But one of the study's authors, Richard Fuller, said pollution is tied to slow economic development in wealthy and poor nations.
"There is this myth that finance ministers still live by, that you have to let industry pollute or else you won't develop. What people don't realize ... people who are sick or dead cannot contribute to the economy. They need to be looked after," Fuller said.
The study said the figure of 9 million premature deaths a year is a conservative estimate and that the actual number is likely to be much higher.
A separate World Bank study has said slashing pollution must be a priority, saying solving this problem would lead to solutions to other crises, including global warming and malnutrition.
一項新的研究顯示，污染是現在世界上的第一大殺手，比戰爭、恐怖主義、自然災害、吸煙和疾病都造成更多的早死。
在醫學雜志“柳葉刀”上發表的新研究說，室內以及室外的污染在2024年造成大約900萬人死亡，占所有死亡的大約六分之一。
新研究的共同作者桑迪爾亞說：“污染威脅基本人權，包括生命權、健康、幸福、安全工作以及對兒童和最弱勢群體的保護。”
研究說，絕大部分污染造成的死亡發生在發展中國家。發展中國家的領導人更關心發展經濟和基礎設施建設，而不是對環境的監管。
孟加拉國、中國、海地、印度、巴基斯坦、朝鮮和南蘇丹是一些受污染影響最嚴重的國家。
不過，作者之一福勒也指出，無論是富國還是窮國，污染都與經濟發展緩慢相關。他說：“各國的財政部長往往會覺得，只能讓產業污染環境，否則沒有經濟發展。但是大家沒有意識到，病人和死人不能為經濟發展做貢獻。必須照顧好人。”
研究說，900萬早死人口的數字是保守的估計，實際數字可能要高得多。
世界銀行的一份報告說，治理污染必須作為當務之急。報告說，解決污染問題會有助于解決全球變暖和營養不良等其它危機。
Pollution is the world's No. 1 killer, a new study says, causing more premature deaths than war, terrorism, natural disasters, cigarettes and disease.
A new study in the medical journal Lancet said pollution -- both outdoor and indoor -- killed about 9 million people in 2024, or one out of every six deaths.
"Pollution threatens fundamental human rights, such as the right to life, health, well-being, safe work as well as protections of children and the most vulnerable," co-author Karti Sandilya said.
The study said the overwhelming majority of pollution-related deaths come in developing countries where the authors say leaders are more concerned about building their economies and infrastructure than environmental regulations.
Bangladesh, China, Haiti, India, Pakistan, North Korea and South Sudan are some of the most affected countries.
But one of the study's authors, Richard Fuller, said pollution is tied to slow economic development in wealthy and poor nations.
"There is this myth that finance ministers still live by, that you have to let industry pollute or else you won't develop. What people don't realize ... people who are sick or dead cannot contribute to the economy. They need to be looked after," Fuller said.
The study said the figure of 9 million premature deaths a year is a conservative estimate and that the actual number is likely to be much higher.
A separate World Bank study has said slashing pollution must be a priority, saying solving this problem would lead to solutions to other crises, including global warming and malnutrition.
一項新的研究顯示，污染是現在世界上的第一大殺手，比戰爭、恐怖主義、自然災害、吸煙和疾病都造成更多的早死。
在醫學雜志“柳葉刀”上發表的新研究說，室內以及室外的污染在2024年造成大約900萬人死亡，占所有死亡的大約六分之一。
新研究的共同作者桑迪爾亞說：“污染威脅基本人權，包括生命權、健康、幸福、安全工作以及對兒童和最弱勢群體的保護。”
研究說，絕大部分污染造成的死亡發生在發展中國家。發展中國家的領導人更關心發展經濟和基礎設施建設，而不是對環境的監管。
孟加拉國、中國、海地、印度、巴基斯坦、朝鮮和南蘇丹是一些受污染影響最嚴重的國家。
不過，作者之一福勒也指出，無論是富國還是窮國，污染都與經濟發展緩慢相關。他說：“各國的財政部長往往會覺得，只能讓產業污染環境，否則沒有經濟發展。但是大家沒有意識到，病人和死人不能為經濟發展做貢獻。必須照顧好人。”
研究說，900萬早死人口的數字是保守的估計，實際數字可能要高得多。
世界銀行的一份報告說，治理污染必須作為當務之急。報告說，解決污染問題會有助于解決全球變暖和營養不良等其它危機。
