Environment, Health and Sustainable Development: A Critical Review

Wherever people live and work is called their environment. The environment encompasses people’s surroundings and the circumstances relating to their surroundings, so it includes physical, biological, social and cultural factors. People constantly interact with their environment; it helps shape their lives, and it affects their health. Recent improvements in the health of urban, industrial populations owe more to social and environmental improvements and dietary changes than to medical treatments. This makes the study of issues surrounding environmental health all the more relevant. Environmental health is part of public health concerned with assessing and understanding the impact of the environment on people and of people on the environment. The aim of this paper is to encourage thinking about how environmental health is relevant to you and your local area. This paper also describes the general relationship between the environment and people’s health. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the links between health, environment and sustainable development.