Parents sound the alarm: polluted air, unhealthy food, lack of exercise. Episode 110

First: breathe. How to fight for our children's health in a world that has forgotten it

Imagine that every time you go to school with your child starts by walking through a curtain of fumes. That lunch in the school canteen is more a test of sugar and salt tolerance than a lesson in healthy eating. That 'fresh air' has become a term from science books rather than an everyday experience.

Sound like a dystopia?
This is an everyday reality for many Polish families.

On why our children's health has become a luxury commodity, we spoke to Kamila Kadzidłowska of the initiative Parents for Climate. Her story is both a personal testimony and a warning: if we do not act now, future generations will pay a bill that no one will be able to repay.

Health on loan

"It's frustrating," says Kadzidłowska. - "We start a family, have children, and suddenly it seems that clean air or healthy food is a luxury. That we live supposedly in a safe part of the world, yet every day we breathe something that is slowly poisoning us."

The problem is multi-layered. Smog during the heating season, busy streets near schools, school shops full of processed snacks. These are not minor inconveniences - they are factors that have a measurable impact on children's health and development.

Studies clearly show: polluted air impairs cognitive function, increases susceptibility to infections, and reduces life expectancy. Yet in Poland, the subject of air quality is still treated as a hobby for "eco-enthusiasts".

The vicious circle of school traffic jams

There is another piece of the puzzle: the daily morning traffic jam outside the school. It's not always about safety - sometimes it's simply about convenience. "I know a school where the children had a ten-minute walk to get to the school, and most were still given a lift," says Monika Rachtan, the interviewer.

The result? Less exercise, more exhaust fumes, greater risk of obesity and lifestyle diseases. And yet all it would take would be a single statement from the management - as in one community school, where an appeal to stop dropping off children caused real change.

Reports versus reality

When a local organisation produced a report showing the scale of pollution around the school, it seemed to be the beginning of change. The figures were unmistakable: thousands of cars, plummeting smog indicators in the morning. But at the same time, the authorities approved the construction of a discount store with a huge car park right next door. The investment priority won out over the health priority.

A world where you can do things differently

In Japan, children go to school on foot. They cook their lunches there from local produce. They learn self-reliance by doing, not from a textbook.
In Finland, students have been receiving media education for years, which allows them to recognise disinformation - a skill that is invaluable in the era of fake news.

In Poland? We are still debating whether health education should be compulsory.

The price of silence

Kadzidłowska cites figures that are hard to ignore: PLN 150 billion a year cost Poland the effects of smog. Medical treatment, loss of productivity, premature deaths. This is money that could go into the education, health or infrastructure budget.

And yet, in the public debate, the topic gets lost. The voice of investors is loud, coordinated. The voice of the residents? Often barely audible.

Disinformation - the invisible smog

The problem is not only physical smog, but also information smog. Climate and health fake news spreads online at lightning speed. Algorithms place a premium on sensationalism rather than truth.
"We need regulation for Big Tech," Kadzidłowska stresses. - "Otherwise we will always lose out to the disinformation machine that makes money from polarisation and chaos."

What we can do today

Changing your lifestyle will not solve everything, but it is a starting point. Monitoring air quality, giving up the car where you can, introducing plant-based products into your diet, talking to your children about health and the environment.
But most importantly - the pressure on local authorities. It is there, in the municipalities and towns, that decisions are made about whether a new park or another car park will be built.

The right to breathe

"Living healthy should be our constitutional right," says Kadzidłowska. - "That means clean air, access to healthy food, safe spaces. It's not a luxury, it's a foundation."

This text is a call to action.

Because if we don't start fighting for clean air and a healthy environment for our children today, tomorrow we will wake up in a world where it will be too late.