Pollution of the air, water and soil is the largest environmental cause of disease and premature death worldwide, responsible for around 9 million premature deaths annually. The greatest increases in non-communicable disease (NCD) mortality are seen in low- and middle-income countries, experiencing epidemics of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.

The largest proportion of these deaths is associated with exposure to outdoor and indoor air pollution, accounting for about 1 in 9 deaths every year worldwide. Co-emitted greenhouse gases and short-lived climate pollutants exacerbate climate change and related extreme weather events, with adverse effects on the health of people and the planet. 

The Clean Environment and Planetary Health in Asia (CEPHA) network aims to enhance inter-sectoral interdisciplinary engagement to co-create lasting partnerships that will help instigate a clean environment transformation in Asia (India, China, Thailand, Malaysia, and neighbouring countries) through low-carbon development, focusing on innovative solutions that can provide multiple health, environmental and socioeconomic benefits.

This CEPHA network is supported by the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) and the International Consortium for Urban Environmental Health and Sustainability (Healthy-Polis).

CEPHA workshop in Xiamen, China (November 2019)