Environmental quality of life

Environmental outcomes are important determinants of human health and well-being. They demonstrate that production and income growth may not always be accompanied by a rise in material well-being. Degraded environmental quality can result from and cause unsustainable development patterns. It can have substantial economic and social consequences, from health costs and lower labour productivity to reduced agricultural output, impaired ecosystem functions and a generally lower quality of life. Environmental conditions affect the quality of people’s life in various ways. They affect human health through air and water pollution and exposure to hazardous substances and noise, as well as through indirect effects from climate change, transformations in water cycles, biodiversity loss and natural disasters that affect the health of ecosystems and damage people’s property and life. People also benefit from environmental services, such as access to clean water and nature, and their choices are influenced by environmental amenities. The main aspects of importance to green growth include: ?? Human exposure to pollution and environmental risks, the associated effects on human health and on quality of life, and the related health costs and impacts on human capital. ?? Public access to environmental services and amenities, or the level and type of access various groups have to environmental services such as clean water, sanitation, green spaces and public transport. Indicators on these aspects can be complemented with information on people’s perceptions about the quality of their environment. They should be read together with other quality of life and well-being indicators.