World Bank2014-01-172014-01-172013-01https://hdl.handle.net/10986/16588The Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region has a unique mix of qualities and challenges when it comes to the environment. It is exceptionally endowed with natural assets, with globally significant biodiversity and valuable crops, and also harbors the world s greatest carbon sink in the Amazon. The purpose of the series is to contribute to the global knowledge exchange on innovation in environmental and water resources management and the pursuit of greener and more inclusive growth. The series addresses issues relevant to the region s environmental sustainability agenda from water resources management to environmental health, natural resource management, biodiversity conservation, environmental policy, pollution management, environmental institutions and governance, ecosystem services, environmental financing, irrigation and climate change and their linkages to development and growth. In this particular paper, the author presents the findings of a study looking at three fundamental environmental health risks in Nicaragua, notably inadequate water and sanitation, indoor and outdoor air pollution. The results are striking in that these three risks alone amount to an estimated 2.4 percent of the country s gross domestic product (GDP), affecting primarily the poorer segments of the population. The study proceeds to look at priority investments and solutions, including by ranking potential interventions in terms of their costs and the expected benefits.La región de América Latina y el Caribe (LAC), reúne una combinación única de cualidades y retos en el ámbito medioambiental. No en vano, la región posee una dotación excepcional de recursos naturales y cultivos valiosos para la biodiversidad mundial, además de acoger al mayor sumidero de carbono del mundo: el Amazonas. Sin embargo, la región también acusa las mayores tasas de urbanización del mundo en desarrollo, niveles altos de contaminación y sobreutilización de recursos naturales e hídricos, con efectos perjudiciales sobre la salud (especialmente la de los pobres), y sobre el medio ambiente. En esta publicación se presentan los resultados de un estudio de varios tipos de riesgo medioambiental en Nicaragua, centrando el análisis en las deficiencias relacionadas con el agua y el saneamiento, y la contaminación del aire en interiores y en exteriores. Los resultados son llamativos, puesto que estos tres tipos de riesgo representan por sí mismos un 2,4 por ciento del PIB del país, afectando principalmente a los segmentos poblacionales más pobres. El estudio considera soluciones e inversiones prioritarias y ordena las intervenciones potenciales en función de sus costos y de los beneficios que se espera que generen. Así pues, queda claro que las soluciones son posibles y que las ganancias de los progresos medioambientales pueden ser muy altas en términos de mejoras en la salud y en la calidad de vida, en especial para los niños.en-USCC BY 3.0 IGOADULT MORBIDITYADULT MORTALITYAGE GROUPAIR POLLUTIONAIR POLLUTION CONTROLAIR POLLUTION MEASURESAIR QUALITYAIR QUALITY MONITORINGAIR QUALITY STANDARDSAMBIENT AIR POLLUTIONAVERAGE COSTSAVERAGE DAILY CONSUMPTIONBASIC SANITATIONBENEFIT ANALYSISBENEFIT-COST ANALYSISBIODIVERSITYBIODIVERSITY CONSERVATIONCANCERCARBONCARDIOVASCULAR DISEASECARDIOVASCULAR DISEASESCHILD HEALTHCHILD MORTALITYCHILD MORTALITY RATECHRONIC BRONCHITISCLEAN FUELCLEANER FUELSCLIMATE CHANGECOALCOMPRESSED NATURAL GASCOST OF WATERCOST-BENEFIT ANALYSESDEATHSDEATHS OF CHILDRENDEMOGRAPHICSDEVELOPING COUNTRIESDIESELDISABILITYDISASTERSDISSEMINATIONDOSE RESPONSEDRINKING WATERDRUGSECONOMIC ANALYSISECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTECONOMIC IMPACTECOSYSTEMECOSYSTEM SERVICESELDERLYEMISSION REDUCTIONEMISSION TAXESEMISSIONSENERGY USEENVIRONMENTALENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGEENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGESENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATIONENVIRONMENTAL HEALTHENVIRONMENTAL INSTITUTIONSENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENTENVIRONMENTAL POLICYENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTIONENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMSENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONENVIRONMENTAL QUALITYENVIRONMENTAL RISKENVIRONMENTAL RISKSENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITYEXPENDITURESGROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCTHEALTH BURDENHEALTH CAREHEALTH CARE SERVICESHEALTH DAMAGEHEALTH DAMAGESHEALTH EFFECTSHEALTH IMPACTHEALTH INTERVENTIONSHEALTH OUTCOMESHEALTH PROBLEMSHEALTH RISKSHEALTHY LIFEHIGH CHILD MORTALITYHOSPITALHOSPITAL ADMISSIONSHOSPITALIZATIONHUMAN CAPITALHUMAN DEVELOPMENTHUMAN HEALTHHYGIENEILL HEALTHILLNESSILLNESSESINDIVIDUAL HOUSEHOLDSINDOOR AIRINDOOR AIR POLLUTIONINDOOR AIR QUALITYINFECTIONS IN WOMENINTERVENTIONINVESTMENT COSTSLEGAL STATUSLIVE BIRTHSLOCAL CAPACITYMARGINAL BENEFITSMARGINAL COSTMARGINAL COSTSMATERNAL HEALTHMEDICAL TREATMENTMEDICINESMILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALSMINISTRY OF HEALTHMORBIDITYMORTALITYMORTALITY RATE FOR CHILDREN UNDER AGEMORTALITY RATESMUNICIPAL WATERMUNICIPAL WATER SUPPLYNATURAL DISASTERSNATURAL GASNATURAL RESOURCENATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENTNATURAL RESOURCESNUMBER OF NEW CASESNUMBER OF PEOPLEOBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASEOUTDOOR AIR POLLUTIONOUTDOOR AIR QUALITYOZONEPARTICULATE AIR POLLUTIONPARTICULATE MATTERPARTICULATE POLLUTIONPERSONAL HYGIENEPIT LATRINESPOLICY MAKERSPOLLUTANTSPOLLUTIONPOLLUTION EXPOSUREPOLLUTION IMPACTSPOOR HEALTHPOOR WATER QUALITYPOPULATION GROWTH RATEPOPULATION SUBGROUPSPOTABLE WATERPOTABLE WATER SUPPLYPRACTITIONERSPREMATURE DEATHPREMATURE DEATHSPREMATURE MORTALITYPRIMARY CAREGIVERSPRIVATE COSTSPROGRESSPUBLIC AWARENESSPUBLIC SERVICEPUBLIC TRANSPORTATIONPUBLIC WATERQUALITY OF LIFEQUALITY OF SERVICEQUANTITY OF WATERRATES OF URBANIZATIONRESPIRATORY DISEASESRESPIRATORY ILLNESSRESPIRATORY ILLNESSESRISK FACTORSRISK OF ILLNESSRURAL AREASRURAL DRINKING WATERRURAL POPULATIONRURAL POPULATIONSRURAL SANITATIONRURAL WATERRURAL WATER SUPPLYSANITATIONSANITATION COVERAGESANITATION FACILITIESSANITATION SECTORSANITATION SERVICESSEPTIC TANKSERVICE PROVISIONSEWAGESUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENTTECHNICAL ASSISTANCETRANSPORTATIONURBAN AIR POLLUTIONURBAN AREASURBAN CENTERSURBAN POLLUTIONURBAN POPULATIONURBAN POPULATION GROWTHURBAN WATERURBAN WATER SUPPLYVENTILATIONVULNERABILITYWAGESWASTEWASTE DISPOSALWATER CONSUMPTIONWATER POLLUTIONWATER RESOURCESWATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENTWATER SANITATIONWATER SUPPLYWATER USEWELLSWORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATIONWTPYOUNG CHILDRENWorld Bank10.1596/16588