7 billion people, more than 95% of the world’s population, are breathing air that contains unhealthy levels of pollution , while 60% of the world lives in areas that do not even meet the most basic air quality standards.
The findings come from the State of Global Air 2018 , an annual report from the Health Effects Institute (HEI) that looks at global exposure to air pollution and its burden on health using the World Health Organization’s Air Quality Guide. (WHO).
Experts found that air pollution contributed to 6.1 million premature deaths worldwide, usually in the form of strokes, heart attacks, lung cancer and chronic lung disease. That means that air pollution is the fourth leading cause of death in the world, second only to high blood pressure, poor diet and smoking.
The problem also appears to be getting worse despite increased awareness of the problem at hand. In 2014, for example, 92% of the world’s population lived in places where the WHO recommended levels of air quality were not met.
Air pollution is a nasty cocktail of gases and microscopic particles of sulfate, nitrates, ammonia, sodium chloride, black carbon, and mineral dust. The WHO sets guidelines on how many micrograms of fine particles should be found in a cubic meter of air . And the vast majority of the planet (95%) exceeds these guidelines, as we can see in the map below. Almost two-thirds of the world is at the poorest level of quality. As always, those living in low- and middle-income countries are hit the hardest.
China and India are particularly ‘drowned’. These two countries were responsible for more than half of global pollution-related deaths. India, along with Pakistan and Bangladesh, have seen a sharp rise in air pollution in the last decade, yet China is winning the war on air pollution thanks to heavy investment in green energy infrastructure projects.
While we might think that air pollution is only a problem for cities full of vehicles, this report also looked for the first time at the damage caused by burning wood, charcoal, and animal manure.
“Air pollution has a huge impact on health around the world, making it difficult for people with respiratory diseases to breathe, sending young and old to the hospital, missing school and work, and contributing to premature death.” said Bob O’Keefe, HEI vice president. “The trends we report show real progress in some parts of the world, but serious challenges remain in eliminating this preventable affliction .”
“There are reasons for optimism, although there is a long way to go. It seems that China is now moving quite aggressively, for example by cutting coal and controlling more. India, however, has started to intensify indoor air pollution, for example, through the supply of LPG [liquefied petroleum gas] as a cooking fuel, and through electrification, “O’Keefe clarifies.
Reference: State of Global Air from the Health Effects Institute (HEI)
