The ailing planet
Theailingplanet
Like the human body, the world, too, can fall ill—and it already is.
Air pollution is its chronic bronchitis, releasing greenhouse gases and heating the planet. Traffic congestion is a paralyzing thrombosis, pumping out CO₂ without pause. The loss of greenery, our “green baldness”, erases the natural lungs that help cool the climate. Heat waves are a persistent fever, worsened by concrete and the absence of shade. And corruption, the autoimmune disease of society, diverts vital resources that could safeguard our future. To heal our cities is to treat the Earth’s fever.
A longer season of sneezes
With more CO₂ in the air, plants—trees and grasses among them—produce pollen that is more potent and more abundant. Studies show that, by the end of the century, pollen seasons could begin 40 days earlier than today and last 15 days longer. This phenomenon is one reason why respiratory allergies are becoming more frequent and more severe.
Smoke that travels thousands of miles
The smoke from wildfires, ever more common in a hotter, drier world, respects no borders. It carries ultrafine particles that penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream. In 2020, smoke from fires in the Pantanal degraded the air in São Paulo, more than 1,500 kilometers away.
