Air, water or soil pollution due to activities in human settlements causes continuous environmental change that can have damaging effects on agriculture, water resources, the energy sector and human health. The capacity or the resilience of the environment to cope with the environmental impacts caused by human habitation can influence both the health of the human settlements and the natural environment with which it is associated. The well-being and health risks associated with the environment (and those posed by extreme events and disasters) can be mitigated substantially by the prevailing conditions and characteristics of human settlements.