CLIMATE CONFERENCE OPENS IN PARIS Air pollution largest health risk in Europe

Posted on 11/30/2015 | About Paris, France

High-level climate talks have begun in Paris with the goal of a long-term deal to reduce man-made emissions. A total of 151 world leaders have converged on Paris to launch the two-week talks in hopes of giving an impetus for an ambitious agreement.

Peruvian Environment Minister Manuel Pulgar Vidal, who played host to the last U.N. climate conference in Lima, declared this year's meeting open Monday morning. Vidal said a deal would show the world that countries can work together to fight global warming as well as terrorism. The talks are occurring just two weeks after deadly attacks in Paris by Islamic State extremists. The European Union's environment agency says air pollution remains the single largest environmental health risk in Europe, causing more than 430,000 premature deaths in 2012.

The agency says the data, based on monitoring points across Europe, shows that people living in cities are still exposed to air pollution of “levels deemed unsafe by the World Health Organization” and resulting in serious illnesses, including heart disease, respiratory problems and cancer. Hans Bruyninckx, head of the Copenhagen-based European Environment Agency said that air pollution also has “considerable economic impacts'” by increasing medical costs and reducing productivity through lost working days. The annual air quality report was released Monday. The U.N. climate conference aims to create a landmark agreement to fight global warming.