What harms humans the most? Poor nutrition, stress, poor environment (such as air and water pollution). Which of these is the primary threat? And why?
Among poor nutrition, stress, and poor environment (air and water pollution), poor environment—specifically air and water pollution—emerges as the primary threat to human health because it is a systemic issue that affects entire populations, contributes to multiple diseases, and amplifies the effects of poor nutrition and stress. Air pollution is linked to respiratory diseases, cardiovascular conditions, and neurological disorders, while water contamination causes infectious diseases, disrupts ecosystems, and leads to long-term health crises. According to the WHO, air pollution alone contributes to over 7 million premature deaths annually, making it one of the leading environmental health risks worldwide.
While poor nutrition is a major factor in chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and heart conditions, and chronic stress can weaken the immune system and contribute to mental health disorders, these issues often interact with environmental factors. For example, air pollution worsens malnutrition by reducing crop yields, and environmental toxins can elevate stress by harming public health, livelihoods, and living conditions. Moreover, many people cannot easily escape poor environmental conditions, making it a more persistent and widespread problem. Addressing air and water pollution has a broader impact on human health by reducing disease burdens, improving overall well-being, and creating healthier living conditions, which in turn improve both nutrition and stress resilience.
In California I have seen much larger-scale issues being involved--Desertification via Global Warming, lack of fresh water for agriculture (like in the San Joaquin Valley, and our Mojave and Sonoran deserts), and the rich not paying enough to support the rest of society
Good example is Trump paying Federal income taxes--
- 2017: Paid $750
- 2018: Paid nearly $1 million
- 2019: Paid approximately $133,445
- 2020: Paid $0,
- And the lack of generational and local economic opportunities.
- Without money from the individuals affected, OR the rich paying into society to fix any of the items you have on your list, all we can do is to make lists, if no money is available to do anything to fix them.
Each one has its own impact.....if you take stress for example, despite good eating and comfortable life, stress has a tremendous toll on your health. Poor nutrition reflects in malnutrition and the consequences that follow. Environment plays a crucial role as air we breathe and the water we drink which are basic requirements, harm your health in many ways depending upon the strength/weakness of one's immune system. Collectively, they do a great damage to human health.
When whole countries are bankrupt, like the US in debt by more than $30 trillion dollars, then the entire world will be "harmed" by the investments in the wrong things for the last 80 years, as Eisenhower warned us about.
On January 17, 1961, in this farewell address, President Dwight Eisenhower warned against the establishment of a "military-industrial complex."
..."we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United State corporations.
This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence-economic, political, even spiritual-is felt in every city, every state house, every office of the Federal government...
In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. -- Eisenhower.
When societies invest in the wrong things like their militaries, that creates conditions where all the things which "harm" humans can only be made into lists, because there is no money to try and solve them.
The golden key which unlocks the riches of a country for the military, also unlocks the Pandora's box full of things which harm humans.
Air and water pollution comes in the top because human consumption of air and water is more compared to other health hazardus problems.
Any human society where it does not mimic other animal societies--like a flock of birds--is in for trouble! You do not see birds with grandiose nests nest to homeless birds. When the basic society is so uneven in terms of resources, some have way too much where others have barely enough, then all other issues as your question is discussing, are just frosting on a poorly designed cake which does not have a long term good ending for civilizations in general.
A Burning Question: The Risks of Incinerating Forever Chemicals
The science on PFAS incineration is relatively nascent, which leaves concerned citizens in limbo. Most research and regulation have focused on the compounds’ presence in water. But few studies have examined their prevalence — and potential health risks — in air...
https://undark.org/2025/04/30/incinerating-pfas-risks/
Air consumption is most, without air no life. Thus air pollution is the primary threat.
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