Peltier, E. (2020 December 16) In Landmark Ruling, Air Pollution Recorded as a Cause of Death for British Girl. Retrieved February 13, 2020 from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/16/world/europe/britain-air-pollution-death.html

 

This British landmark ruling ruled that the death of a 9-year-old girl in 2013 was due to air pollution. She had died of an asthma attack in London. The girl’s mother stated that she was unaware of the huge risks of air pollution where she lived. The UN wrote that this “would be ‘the first time that air pollution has ever been explicitly linked to a named individual’s death.’”

This is definitely a huge step forward in the fight against climate change. As the UN states, this was the first time that anyone had ruled that air pollution was the direct cause of a person’s death. Air pollution is worsened by and worsens climate change. They are both directly linked. There are numerous people across the globe who still do not believe that climate change exists, or refuse to acknowledge the gravity of the situation. I would hope that a ruling like this would make people more inclined to believe scientists when they say that climate change is a serious problem, not just directly for humans, but for the planet in general. By ruling this way, Britain is showing the true effects of pollution and climate change. We must reduce our emissions/pollution if we hope to survive as a species and help the planet to survive. Hopefully this case can be a wakeup call to people across the globe.