Living conditions are the physical circumstances in which an individual or community lives, specifically related to shelter and protection from environmental hazards.
Today, one billion people live in urban slums, which are typically overcrowded, polluted, and dangerous, and lack basic services such as clean water and sanitation. High urban land and housing costs are pushing the lowest-income people into locations vulnerable to natural hazards such as floods, which are becoming increasingly frequent due to climate change. From longstanding to emerging hazards, environmental factors are also a root cause of a significant burden of death, disease, and disability – particularly in developing countries.
Every individual has adequate shelter and safety relative to the environment they live in and is empowered to responsibly manage the environment within which he or she lives. Governments invest in affordable housing and infrastructure and promote environmental sanitation practices. Companies are held accountable for the environmental impacts of their activities, and reduce pollution from their supply chains.
i UN Population Fund (link)
ii UN Habitat (link)
iii World Vision (link)
iv World Health Organization (link)
1 This metric is comprised of four sub-indicators: availability of affordable housing, access to electricity, quality of electricity supply, household air pollution attributable deaths.