Intervention, both at the community and the national level, can significantly improve the environment by promoting water treatment and storage, and reducing air pollution. The last measure by itself could save almost 1 million lives a year.

Some measures taken at the local level are having a positive impact on the environment. In a South African city, for example, when conventional environmental health control measures to clean an overcrowded, unsanitary building housing several hundred people failed, a democratically elected tenants' committee initiated a series of measures to deal with the main problems and succeeded in its mission. The project has laid the foundation for dealing with environmental problems in city buildings in a participatory way.

In Cairo, Laila Iskandar Kamel has implemented innovative social and environmental projects while working with garbage collectors. The projects have helped garbage collectors break the cycle of exploitation and receive proper remuneration for their work. In addition, she has organized girls from the community to revive the most ancient of Egyptian crafts, weaving cloth on a handloom. The yarn for handloom comes from discarded cotton clothes, and she uses the profits for providing them better education and thus better livelihood.

In Qatar, the lack of natural resources, and climate change and air quality pose a serious challenge for the authorities. Among the measures taken by Qatari authorities to improve the environment is spreading environmental awareness among the people, particularly mothers. Besides, a new school curriculum emphasizes the importance of environmental issues.

In the Americas, eco-clubs are carrying out an outstanding series of environmental activities. The clubs are nongovernmental organizations, basically comprising children and adolescents who coordinate their activities through several community institutions.

Loja city in Ecuador used to be littered with dumping yards in thickly populated areas, which recently caused an outbreak of contagious diseases. Through an intensive sanitization and education campaign, in which community members played a key role, people built a sanitary landfill and started safe disposal of recyclable materials, leading to great improvement in the residents' lives.

Such projects are making children increasingly aware about the environment and their role in improving it. Planning, design, monitoring and management of the environment have become ideal platforms for children's participation. Such initiatives are taking place across the world with the aim of improving the environment and, as a result, people's health.

The Chinese government, therefore, has to increase its expenditure on environmental protection to ensure better health for people, especially children and elders, who are most vulnerable to environmental factors. The exercise may be expensive. But if it is not undertaken, the price China would have to pay in terms of children's lives will be much, much higher.

The author is an international public health consultant and author of Environmental Impact on Child Health.

(China Daily 01/29/2013 page9)