A new study has found that emissions from Sasol's Secunda plant in South Africa contributed to an estimated 1,000 deaths and 1,100 preterm births in 2024. According to the research, the health impacts of the pollution are valued at roughly R19 billion per year. The findings place significant economic and human costs on one of the country's largest industrial emitters, according to IOL.

A new study has estimated that exposure to second-hand smoke contributed to 1.66 million premature deaths worldwide in 2023. According to the research, reported by IOL, children and women were among the groups disproportionately affected by second-hand smoke exposure. The findings highlight the ongoing global health burden posed by tobacco smoke beyond smokers themselves, underscoring the impact on non-smokers exposed in homes and other environments.

Gas flaring in Rivers State communities has been associated with increased rates of childhood deaths and respiratory diseases, highlighting the human cost of this environmental pollution, according to Punch.

A new report cited by Premium Times warns that without stronger climate and clean air intervention, the share of the global population exposed to the most dangerous PM2.5 concentrations could rise from 27 per cent in 2025 to 34 per cent by 2050. According to the report, decisive climate and clean air action could prevent up to 144 million premature deaths worldwide by mid-century, underscoring the health benefits of reducing air pollution and emissions.

Cluster munitions killed and wounded 1,063 people globally in 2025, one of the highest annual casualty tolls on record, according to a report cited by Al Jazeera. The figures highlight the continuing harm caused by these weapons, which are banned by more than 100 countries under an international convention due to their indiscriminate effects and the long-lasting danger posed by unexploded bomblets to civilians.

A Daily Trust opinion piece highlights the global suicide crisis, noting that according to the World Health Organization, someone dies by suicide roughly every 43 seconds, amounting to more than 720,000 lives lost each year. The article argues that the scale of the crisis is often overlooked because the statistics obscure the individual human stories behind them, and it urges greater attention to suicide prevention and mental health awareness.