The urban environment and health in a world of increasing globalization: issues for developing countries.

摘要: Urban living is the keystone of modern human ecology. Cities have multiplied and expanded rapidly worldwide over past two centuries. are sources creativity technology, they engines for economic growth. However, also poverty, inequality, health hazards from environment. populations long been incubators gateways infectious diseases. The early industrializing period unplanned growth laissez-faire activity in cities industrialized countries has superseded by rise collective management urban This occurred response to environmental blight, increasing literacy, development democratic government, accrual wealth. In many low-income countries, this process being slowed pressures priorities globalization. Beyond traditional risks diarrhoeal disease respiratory infections poor adaptation various vector-borne urbanization, environment poses physicochemical hazards. These include exposure lead, air pollution, traffic hazards, "urban heat island" amplification heatwaves. As number consumers their material expectations as use fossil fuels increases, contribute large-scale on biosphere including climate change. We must develop policies that ameliorate existing, usually unequally distributed, larger-scale problems.