Sustainability and Health

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), The number 1 cause of the death in New Zealand is heart disease killing about 4.6 thousand people. Other causes of death include stroke, Alzheimer's, and cancer which kill a very small portion of the population. This is interesting compared to large countries like the United States where Alzheimer's and cancers are the top causes of death. The top cause of the death in children is considered to be prematurity. The average life expectancy for a New Zealander is about 70 years old. What I found interesting with New Zealand's health profile was that death due to diseases like malaria or HIV were at 0. It was reported that 92% of children at age 1 received the Measles immunization. Additionally, 100% of the population is using sanitized and clean water. This data shows that New Zealand really values the health of their citizens. There is an apparent link between sustainability and health. For example, in general, if citizens are using household products that are bad for their health and contain dangerous chemicals, odds are it is terrible for the environment too. The creation of safer household items and the use of those items in turn too benefits the environment. Or if New Zealand's water contained harsh chemicals like lead and chromium, that would detrimental for humans leading to disease while also dangerously impacting their environment.

WHO, 2016.  “New Zealand: WHO Statistical Profile.”  News Release.  2015 January.  URL: http://www.who.int/gho/countries/nzl.pdf?ua=1 [downloaded October 29, 2016]