Sustainable development provides a basis for understanding and acting on health and environmental protection as interconnected issues.  There is a growing understanding in the international community that overall environmental quality is significantly correlated with - and indeed is often a prime determinate of - individual and population health.  Prevention through environmental protection, source control solutions, and prophylaxis rather than through reliance on belated medical treatment is a key principle for policy formulation and action derived from sustainable development.  Interdisciplinary solutions integrating approaches from such fields as public health, environment, pollution, energy, housing, water, and population growth provide the basis for sustainable solutions to environmental health issues.

This issue section is consequently devoted to exploring those links and interconnections among health, environment, and sustainable development.  The principle aim of SDIN is to expand communications and access to information on sustainable development issues for NGO’s preparing for the WSSD.  Please contact the Issue Coordinator to utilize this section to post information on news, events, organizations, documents, and email lists of interest to civil society networks and other organizations working to advance integrated solutions to worldwide environmental health issues at the WSSD.  A coordinated, collaborative approach among civil society organizations is needed to fully develop the extraordinary opportunity presented by the WSSD to promote environmental health as a key international priority.