Each year, millions of children in developing countries fall sick and die from
diseases caused by polluted air, contaminated resources, and poor hygiene.
Repeated infections also contribute to malnutrition in children, and
subsequently impacts future learning and productivity. This book analyzes the
linkages between malnutrition and environmental health, and assesses the burden
of disease on young children and its economic costs.
Environmental Health and Child Survival: Epidemiology, Economics, Experiencesis
the fourth title in the Environment and Development Series. This series covers
current and emerging issues in order to promote debate and broaden the
understanding of environmental challenges as integral to equitable and sustained
economic growth.
?This rigorous study is a godsend to anyone involved in advocacy for water and
sanitation in developing countries. . . For politicians who are unmoved by
arguments that failure to invest in water and sanitation will make their people
poor, this study offers a clincher; it shows how lack of investment will also
negatively affect their children?s educational and cognitive performance,
because of the effects of malnutrition, exacerbated by frequent episodes of
illness.?
Sandy Cairncross
Professor of Environmental Health
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
For more information or to buy the book, please click here.
CHAIR
Warren Evans.
Director, Environment Department, World Bank
Mr. Evans' main responsibilities include overseeing the implementation of the
Bank?s Environment Strategy, which aims to mainstream environmental issues in
lending and non-lending operations. He joined the World Bank in July 2003. From
1988 to 2003, he held technical and managerial positions at the Asian
Development Bank (ADB) based in Manila, Philippines - his last ADB position was
the Director for the Environment and Social Safeguards Division. Prior to that,
Mr. Evans worked on environmental issues in developing countries, which included
his services as Advisor to the Thai National Environment Board from 1978-1981
and Managing Director of an international environmental consulting firm based in
Asia from 1982-1987.
PRESENTING AUTHORS
Anjali Acharya
Environmental Specialist, Latin America and Caribbean Region, World Bank
Since joining the Bank in 1996, Ms. Acharya has been working on various
environmental issues, including environmental health. She also works on
development policy lending as well as sectoral investment lending projects in
several countries in the LCR region. She has contributed towards numerous Bank
publications on environmental issues, and is the co-task team leader for
Environmental Health and Child Survival.
Mikko Paunio
Senior Medical Officer, Health Protection Cabinet, Ministry of Social Affairs
and Health of Finland
Mr. Paunio has over 30 peer-reviewed publications in leading medical journals,
and among many other things, is an expert in the post vaccination era
epidemiology of measles. He served as a teacher and a researcher for almost a
decade in the University of Helsinki in the 1990's. Since 2002, he was
permanently appointed as a cabinet officer in the Finnish Government. During
2006-2007, he worked as a staff member in the Environment Department of the
World Bank. During this time, he served as the co-task team leader of
Environmental Health and Child Survival.
DISCUSSANTS
Shantayanan Devarajan
Chief Economist, Africa Region, World Bank
Since joining the World Bank in 1991, Mr. Devarajan has been a Principal
Economist and Research Manager for Public Economics in the Development Research
Group, the Chief Economist of the Human Development Network, and of the South
Asia Region. He was the director of the World Development Report 2004: Making
Services Work for Poor People. Before 1991, he was on the faculty at Harvard
University?s John F. Kennedy School of Government. The author and co-author of
over 100 publications, Mr. Devarajan?s research covers public economics, trade
policy, natural resources and the environment, and general equilibrium modeling
of developing countries.
Paul Epstein
Associate Director, Center for Health and the Global Environment, Harvard
Medical School
Mr. Epstein has worked in medical, teaching, and research capacities in Africa,
Asia and Latin America. In 1993, he coordinated an eight-part series on Health
and Climate Change for The Lancet. Mr. Epstein has worked with the IPCC, the
NAS, NOAA, and NASA to assess the health impacts of climate change and develop
health applications of climate forecasting and remote sensing. As recognition
for his contributions to the work of the IPCC, he was awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize in 2007. Mr. Epstein has also coordinated Climate Change Futures: Health,
Ecological and Economic Dimensions, an international project with Swiss Re and
the UNDP.
Jaehyang So
Manager, Water and Sanitation Program (WSP), World Bank
Ms. So comes to the WSP with a background in urban service delivery, utilities
and corporate restructuring, and public private partnerships. She has focused on
improving the performance of service providers, utilities, and local governments
in the World Bank?s programs in Eastern and Central Europe, East Asia, and South
Asia. Immediately prior to joining WSP, Ms. So was the Lead Infrastructure
Specialist in the South Asia Regional Infrastructure Department working
primarily on Bangladesh and Pakistan on urban water and sanitation sector
programs. Ms. So has also worked on the World Bank?s corporate strategy and risk
management development, most recently, leading the team preparing the World Bank
Group?s Sustainable Infrastructure Action Plan.
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