Globally, the region most affected by air pollution is South Asia, with Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan among the four most polluted countries in terms of fine particles.
Air pollution is more dangerous to the average person’s health on Earth than smoking or alcohol, with the risk worsening in the global epicenter of South Asia while rapidly improving in China, a new study has found. .
Research by the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute (EPIC) states that funding to meet this challenge falls far short of that allocated to fighting infectious diseases.
The Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) annual report shows that air pollution from vehicular and industrial emissions, forest fires and other sources is the ‘biggest outdoor threat to public health‘.
According to statistics, if the world reduces pollution to the level recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), the average person’s life expectancy could increase by 2.3 years.
Lung and heart disease, stroke and cancer are linked to fine particles.
In comparison, tobacco use reduces global life expectancy by 2.2 years, while maternal and child malnutrition reduce life expectancy by 1.6 years.
Asia and Africa bear the heaviest burden but still have some of the weakest infrastructure to provide citizens with timely and accurate data.
The entire continent of Africa receives three hundred thousand dollars to combat air pollution.
Christa Husenkopf, director of air quality programs at EPIC, told the French news agency AFP that “both where air pollution is worst and where we are using resources to solve the problem at the global level.” There is no connection between
“Although there is an international financing partnership called the Global Fund that allocates four billion dollars annually to HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, there is no equivalent for air pollution.”
“Air pollution cuts more years off the average person’s life in DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) and Cameroon than HIV/AIDS, malaria and other health risks combined,” the report said.
Bangladesh tops
Globally, South Asia is the most affected region. Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan are among the four most polluted countries in terms of fine particles.
These particles are detected by satellites and are called particulate matter 2.5 microns or less in diameter (PM2.5).
Air pollutant concentrations are then fed into the AQLI metric, which calculates their impact on life expectancy.
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Bangladeshis could add 6.8 years to their lives if they bring PM 2.5 levels down to five micrograms per cubic meter as per WHO guidelines. The average level of PM 2.5 in Bangladesh was 74 micrograms per cubic meter.
Delhi, the capital of India, is the most polluted city in the world with an annual average pollution of 126.5 micrograms per cubic meter.
According to Christa Husenkopf, China has made “remarkable progress in the fight against air pollution” since 2014.
Between 2013 and 2021, its air pollution has decreased by 42.3%. If these improvements continue, the average Chinese citizen’s life expectancy could increase by 2.2 years.
Legislative measures such as the Clean Air Act in the United States have helped reduce pollution by 64.9 percent since 1970, adding an estimated 1.4 years to the life expectancy of American citizens, the report said.
But the increased risk of wildfires, which is linked to warmer temperatures and droughts due to climate change. From Western America to Latin America and Southeast Asia, pollution is increasing.
For example, a historic wildfire in California in 2021 saw fine particulate matter concentrations more than five times the WHO limit in Plumas County.
The report says that the story of North America’s improvement in air pollution in recent decades is similar to that of Europe, but there are clear differences between Western and Eastern Europe.