If the nine countries that generate the most emissions manage to meet the targets of the Paris Agreement, by 2040 1.6 million deaths would be avoided due to improved air quality. This prediction comes from a study just published in The Lancet Planetary Health whose authors have analyzed the health benefits that could be achieved if states (Brazil, China, Germany, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States) they put in place sufficiently ambitious climate plans.
Along with the decrease in pollution, the work also considers measures related to changes in diet and active mobility, which would prevent 6.4 and 2.1 million deaths, respectively.
Air pollution is one of the main health risks for the world’s population. An important report, with data from 2019, places it as the fourth most important risk of deaths in the world, which represents 12% of total deaths.
To make the calculation, the exposure to pollution in the exterior environment (fine particles, or PM₂, ₅ and ozone) and interior (exposure to smoke from the use of solid fuels) is taken into account. Only factors as important as high blood pressure, dietary risks, high glucose and smoking are ahead.
Pollution, a global problem
Ambient air pollution is a global problem. It is estimated that in 2019, about 90% of the world population was exposed to annual mean concentrations of PM₂, ₅ above the WHO recommendations (10 μg / m³). These concentrations are clearly related to the risk of becoming ill or dying from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and cancer, among others.
Although it is a global problem, the levels of pollution, and the impact it has on health, are not distributed homogeneously in the world: they are higher in populations of countries in South and Southeast Asia and Central Africa, and more casualties in rich countries.
But air pollution also represents a serious public health problem in Europe. The European population exposed to annual mean concentrations of PM₂, ₅ and ozone above the recommendations in 2018 was 74% and 96%, respectively. Of the two pollutants, particles are the ones that cause the greatest impact on health, both in Spain and globally. However, different trends are observed in concentrations: in PM₂, ₅ is descending, while in ozone it is increasing, coinciding with the advance of climate change.
Is the entire population equally sensitive to the effects of pollution? Not really. People with chronic diseases, especially cardiorespiratory, and the little ones are more vulnerable. The early stages of life, including pregnancy, are periods of special vulnerability, in which high exposure can lead to an increased risk of illness, disability or death throughout life.
Environment and children’s health
For 15 years, there has been a research network of Spanish groups that has provided relevant information on how exposure to air pollution during the early stages of life (pregnancy and early years) affects the health of children: INMA project (Children and the Environment).
Some results of the project, in which the authors of this article participated, give us an idea of the impact that exposure to pollution has on children’s health. For example, it has been found that children of mothers who were exposed to higher levels of contamination during pregnancy had a higher risk of delayed fetal development.
Pollution has also been linked to lower birth weight or height, increased risk of premature birth, and delayed physical growth in the first years of life.
In the same way, early exposure to high levels of pollution has been associated with an increased risk of suffering from health problems, both respiratory and neurodevelopmental, during childhood.
Emissions and climate change
Climate change is considered the main threat to public health in this century. According to the WHO, 250,000 deaths related to climate change may occur in the current decade. And this number will increase exponentially throughout the century if decisive measures are not taken to vary its progression.
Changes in the climate are due to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by human activity. Southern Europe and the Mediterranean are areas considered “hot spots”, both due to increased warming and reduced rainfall.
International agencies, led by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), are developing a strategy to prevent the global average temperature from exceeding 1.5 ℃ the pre-industrial temperature. To achieve this, emissions of classic GHGs (CO₂, methane, N₂O) and also of other pollutants that affect the climate, such as ozone and black carbon, must be significantly reduced.
Health benefits of actions against climate change
The climate change mitigation strategies that have been proposed can also translate into other health gains, known as “co-benefits”.
These actions promote the reduction of air pollution, increased physical activity, reduced meat consumption or greater access to green spaces.
Recent studies have illustrated the potential benefits derived from such actions. For example, the reduction in air pollution levels that would result from the elimination of fossil fuel emissions could reduce by 3.61 million premature deaths.
The increase in active mobility (walking, cycling) would be associated with an increase in physical activity, and a reduction in air and noise pollution. All of this would translate into a reduction in some of the leading causes of illness and death (eg ischemic disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer).
In addition, changes in diet that would be associated with a reduction in emissions can translate into a decrease of around 11 million premature deaths per year. And not least, it would also decrease the loss of biodiversity and the use of water and soil, factors that reduce the stability of the Earth’s systems.
Covid-19 and the environment: crisis and opportunity
The covid-19 pandemic is causing tremendous damage to humanity and is demonstrating the importance of public health in protecting people’s health and quality of life. In addition, as indicated by the director general of the WHO “it is a warning of the close and intimate relationship between people and the planet.”
In relation to air pollution, a recent study has estimated that, during the first half of 2020, in Spain CO₂ emissions were reduced by 18.8% compared to the same period in 2019.
These improvements show us that, with determined actions, it is possible to achieve substantial improvements in air quality that result in important benefits for the health of the population. This gives us a unique opportunity to achieve cleaner air, mitigate climate change, and advance a healthy and sustainable planet for the youngest and future generations.
Raquel Soler Blasco, Predoctoral Researcher in Environmental Health, Fisabio; Ana Esplugues Cebrián, Professor of Public Health, University of Valencia; Ferrán Ballester, Professor of Nursing. Researcher in Public Health, Fisabio; Marisa Estarlich Estarlich, PhD Assistant Professor, University of Valencia and Pablo Ángel López Fernández, Nurse, predoctoral student, University of Valencia
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original.
