A new report released this November updates the top ten list of world’s worst polluted places previously identified in 2006 and 2007, removing sites that have made progress, and adding new sites.
“Top Ten Toxic Threats in 2013: Cleanup, Progress and Ongoing Challenges” from Blacksmith Institute and Green Cross Switzerland is available for download at www.worstpolluted.org.
“In this year’s report, we cite some of the most polluted places we’ve encountered. But it is important to point out that the problem is really much larger than these ten sites,” says Richard Fuller, president of Blacksmith Institute.
“We estimate that the health of more than 200 million people is at risk from pollution in the developing world.”
Since 2006, Blacksmith’s yearly reports have been instrumental in increasing public understanding of the health impacts posed by toxic pollution, and in some cases, have compelled cleanup work at pollution hotspots.
In Indonesia, for example, this year’s report might have already triggered a renewed focus on the polluted Citarum river, as reported in the Jakarta Post — “West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan has called on all stakeholders to work together with the government in restoring the Citarum River following a report by an environmental organization, which listed the Citarum as one of the world’s most polluted bodies of water.” [slideshow of the Citarum river]
The report generated worldwide attention in Time magazine (slideshow), the Guardian, Voice of America, USA Today (slideshow), and other news outlets in the U.S. and internationally.
Related Post: Top Ten List Generates Worldwide Attention, Triggers Renewed Focus on Global Problem
