HAVE YOU ever wondered whether energy is linked to our health? No doubt we are well aware that we have a heavy dependence on energy – to provide fuel to drive our cars, to provide electricity for our homes and even the production of crops in the fields. There is little we can think about in our everyday activities that does not require the use of energy. So then, how can we link energy to our health? Firstly, we can think about the health of the environment which in turn affects human health. Land, water and air pollution are harmful to the immediate environment and in effect, also to the health of all living things in that environment. Countless studies have shown the link between pollution of the environment and health issues such as respiratory illness, cardiovascular illness and cancer. No doubt, such pollution is greatly associated with the form of energy that has been most utilized around the world – fossil fuels. Fossil fuels, of course, are strongly linked to climate change due to its heavy contribution of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Moreover, harvesting fossil fuels involves a high risk of environmental degradation and pollution to the environment. Oil spills are typical examples of what devastating effects this source of energy has had on the health of the environment and living organisms including man.
Thankfully, there is hope. Energy sources have been identified that are non-extractive (minimum environmental harm when harvesting), much more readily available in the environment and certainly most importantly, are considered clean forms of energy. These are our renewable sources of energy – harvested from the natural activities in nature. These include solar energy (rays from the sun), hydropower (flow of water), wind energy (force of the wind) and even energy from the ocean (movement of the waves).
But with the introduction of renewable energy forms, we have seen far greater benefits for health care provision. Rural communities’ provision of health care has always been limited due to minimum access to electricity for storage of medicine or use of medical equipment. Today, with the use of solar energy and wind energy in these communities, better health care is available to individuals.
These are certainly great benefits for the application of sustainable energy sources for the improvement of human health. How suitable indeed is this year’s designation as ‘Sustainable Energy for All’.

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You can share ideas and questions by sending your letters to: ‘Our Earth, Our Environment’, C/o EIT Division, Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, GEORGETOWN, or email eit.epaguyana@gmail.com