85+ Environmental Impact on Health Quotes: Your Planet, Your Health

Do you know that approximately 23% of all deaths worldwide are caused by various environmental factors? The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat-all these things are crucial for the development of our health and well-being. Our Earth is under unprecedented stress in the form of climate change and pollution. Because of that, it can be evident that environmental health secures a strong connection with human health. A connection whereby an expounding of this very important relation becomes quite necessary through 95 quotes of scholars in science and environmental concerns, and worldly leaders. This wisdom will make clear not only the intimate relationship of our planet to our health but also motivate and inspire us for the protection of a healthy future for both.

The Interconnection of Planet and Health

1. “The environment and the economy are really both two sides of the same coin. If we cannot sustain the environment, we cannot sustain ourselves.” – Wangari Maathai
2. “We are living on this planet as if we had another one to go to.” – Terri Swearingen
3. “The first law of ecology is that everything is related to everything else.” – Barry Commoner
4. “When we heal the earth, we heal ourselves.” – David Orr
5. “Human health is directly linked to the health of our environment.” – Unknown

These quotes emphasize the fundamental connection between our planet’s health and our own well-being. Let’s delve deeper into specific environmental factors affecting our health:

Air Quality and Health

6. “Clean air is a basic human right.” – Yeb Saño
7. “The air we breathe is the most intimate connection we have with our environment.” – Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah
8. “Every breath we take, every step we make, can be filled with peace, joy, and serenity.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
9. “The right to breathe clean air is a human right.” – Greta Thunberg
10. “Air pollution is a silent killer. We need to make some noise about it.” – Unknown

The quality of the air we breathe has a profound impact on our health, as these quotes remind us:

11. “Clean air is not a privilege, it’s a right.” – Unknown
12. “The health effects of air pollution imperil human lives. This fact is well-documented.” – Eddie Bernice Johnson
13. “Breathing clean air should not be a luxury, but a basic human right.” – Unknown
14. “Air pollution is not just an environmental issue; it’s a matter of life and death.” – Arvind Kumar
15. “The air we breathe is as important as the food we eat.” – Unknown

Water Quality and Health

16. “Water is life’s matter and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water.” – Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
17. “When the well is dry, we know the worth of water.” – Benjamin Franklin
18. “Thousands have lived without love, not one without water.” – W.H. Auden
19. “Clean water is a fundamental human right.” – Unknown
20. “Water and air, the two essential fluids on which all life depends, have become global garbage cans.” – Jacques Yves Cousteau

Access to clean water is crucial for human health, as these quotes powerfully illustrate:

21. “Water is the driving force of all nature.” – Leonardo da Vinci
22. “We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.” – Thomas Fuller
23. “Clean water, sanitation, and hygiene are essential for human health.” – Unknown
24. “The greatest wealth is health. The greatest wealth is clean water.” – Unknown
25. “Water is the most critical resource issue of our lifetime and our children’s lifetime. The health of our waters is the principal measure of how we live on the land.” – Luna Leopold

Climate Change and Health

26. “Climate change is the greatest global health threat facing the world in the 21st century, but it is also the greatest opportunity to redefine the social and environmental determinants of health.” – Lancet Commission on Health and Climate Change
27. “Climate change is not just about saving our planet. It is about saving ourselves.” – Unknown
28. “The impacts of climate change are here, and they’re affecting our health.” – Dr. Georges Benjamin
29. “Climate change is a health emergency.” – Dr. Maria Neira
30. “The climate crisis is also a public health crisis.” – Unknown

These quotes highlight the urgent need to address climate change for the sake of our health:

31. “Climate change is the defining issue of our time and we are at a defining moment.” – António Guterres
32. “Climate change is the greatest threat to human health in history.” – Dr. Margaret Chan
33. “The effects of climate change are not just an environmental issue, but a health issue, a food security issue, and an economic issue.” – Unknown
34. “Climate change is a medical emergency. It thus demands an emergency response.” – Unknown
35. “The health impacts of climate change are not a future threat – they are here now.” – Unknown

Food and Environmental Health

36. “The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.” – Ann Wigmore
37. “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” – Hippocrates
38. “Our food system is broken, and it’s breaking us.” – Unknown
39. “The way we grow, distribute, and consume food is damaging both human health and the health of our planet.” – Unknown
40. “A healthy diet cannot exist in an unhealthy environment.” – Unknown

Our food choices have a significant impact on both our health and the environment:

41. “Eating is an agricultural act.” – Wendell Berry
42. “The health of the soil, plants, animals, and humans is one and indivisible.” – Sir Albert Howard
43. “The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.” – Ann Wigmore
44. “Our food choices make a difference to the health of our bodies and the health of our planet.” – Unknown
45. “The future of food must be rooted in healthy soils, clean water, and sustainable farming practices.” – Unknown

Biodiversity and Health

46. “The loss of biodiversity is a silent killer.” – Unknown
47. “Biodiversity is the greatest treasure we have… Its diminishment is to be prevented at all cost.” – Thomas Eisner
48. “When we protect biodiversity, we protect ourselves.” – Unknown
49. “The health of ecosystems on which we and all other species depend is deteriorating more rapidly than ever.” – Sir Robert Watson
50. “Biodiversity loss is not just an environmental issue, but a developmental, economic, security, social and moral issue as well.” – Unknown

These quotes emphasize the crucial role of biodiversity in maintaining human health:

51. “The diversity of life is essential to human health.” – Unknown
52. “Protecting biodiversity is protecting the future of medicine.” – Unknown
53. “The web of life is a safety net for human health.” – Unknown
54. “Biodiversity loss threatens the very foundations of our health, livelihoods, food security, and quality of life worldwide.” – Unknown
55. “The health of people and the health of ecosystems are inextricably linked.” – Unknown

Environmental Justice and Health

56. “Environmental justice is the right to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and live on land free from contamination regardless of race, color, or income.” – Dr. Robert Bullard
57. “Environmental racism is real. Poor communities and communities of color bear a disproportionate burden of environmental hazards.” – Unknown
58. “The right to a clean environment is a basic human right.” – Unknown
59. “Environmental justice means that no community should be saddled with more environmental burdens and less environmental benefits than any other.” – Unknown
60. “Health disparities are, first and foremost, a result of inequities in the social determinants of health.” – Unknown

These quotes highlight the importance of addressing environmental inequalities for better public health:

61. “Environmental justice is not just about the environment. It’s about people.” – Unknown
62. “The struggle for environmental justice is a struggle for our lives.” – Unknown
63. “Environmental justice is the crossroads of environmental activism and social justice.” – Unknown
64. “We must fight for environmental justice as if our lives depend on it – because they do.” – Unknown
65. “Environmental justice is a civil rights issue.” – Unknown

Mental Health and the Environment

66. “Nature itself is the best physician.” – Hippocrates
67. “To walk in nature is to witness a thousand miracles.” – Mary Davis
68. “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” – Albert Einstein
69. “In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.” – John Muir
70. “The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God.” – Anne Frank

These quotes remind us of the profound impact nature has on our mental well-being:

71. “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” – Lao Tzu
72. “The earth has music for those who listen.” – George Santayana
73. “Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where Nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike.” – John Muir
74. “I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.” – John Burroughs
75. “There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature — the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.” – Rachel Carson

Taking Action for Environmental and Human Health

76. “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.” – Robert Swan
77. “We don’t have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.” – Howard Zinn
78. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead
79. “The Earth is what we all have in common.” – Wendell Berry
80. “We are the first generation to feel the effect of climate change and the last generation who can do something about it.” – Barack Obama

These quotes inspire us to take action for the health of our planet and ourselves:

81. “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi
82. “The environment is where we all meet; where we all have a mutual interest; it is the one thing all of us share.” – Lady Bird Johnson
83. “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” – Albert Einstein
84. “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” – Chinese Proverb
85. “What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another.” – Mahatma Gandhi

The Future of Environmental Health

86. “The future will either be green or not at all.” – Bob Brown
87. “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” – Native American Proverb
88. “Sustainable development is the pathway to the future we want for all. It offers a framework to generate economic growth, achieve social justice, exercise environmental stewardship and strengthen governance.” – Ban Ki-moon
89. “The only way forward, if we are going to improve the quality of the environment, is to get everybody involved.” – Richard Rogers
90. “A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

These final quotes remind us of our responsibility to future generations:

91. “We have forgotten how to be good guests, how to walk lightly on the earth as its other creatures do.” – Barbara Ward
92. “The ultimate test of man’s conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard.” – Gaylord Nelson
93. “We are living on this planet as if we had another one to go to.” – Terri Swearingen
94. “The environment is no one’s property to destroy; it’s everyone’s responsibility to protect.” – Mohith Agadi
95. “We have a single mission: to protect and hand on the planet to the next generation.” – Francois Hollande

These 95 quotes underline the intimate interrelation between our environment and our health-from the quality of air and water through climate change to biodiversity. Or, put in another way, everything touching on the health of our planet touches on our health. The message is crystal clear: the care of the environment isn’t saving nature; it is saving our health and the health of our children. As we reflect on this wisdom, let us not forget that the power for change has always been within us. We have the power to contribute toward a healthier planet-one that is capable of helping humanity be healthier-by making environmentally conscious choices in our daily lives through sustainable policies, and through advocating for environmental justice. After all, it is a truism that the health of our planet and our health represent two sides of one and the same coin.