First modification:
The World Health Organization published a report that reveals that there is air pollution in almost the entire planet. New data allowed to know more in detail the levels of pollution in 117 countries, where it was found that the most affected are low-income nations. It is estimated that seven million people die prematurely each year from poor air quality.
An alarming figure. 99% of the world’s population breathes polluted air, the World Health Organization (WHO) said this week, indicating that poor air quality is responsible for millions of deaths each year.
The new information shown by the United Nations agency reveals that practically every corner of the planet faces this problem; however, the situation is much worse in less favored countries.
“Almost 100% of the world’s population continues to breathe air that exceeds the recommended standards (…) it is an important public health problem,” said the director of the WHO Department of Public Health and Environment.
Neira points out that in a previous report, published four years ago, the WHO had already confirmed that more than 90% of the world’s population breathes polluted air; however, the new data show that even “lower levels of some air pollutants cause significant damage.”
The WHO had previously pointed out that seven million deaths occur annually as a result of air pollution and if this trend continues, this number would double by 2050.
Given this, Neira lamented that “after having survived a pandemic, it is unacceptable to continue having 7 million preventable deaths and lose countless years in good health due to air pollution.”
“There are more investments dedicated to a polluted environment than to a clean and healthy air environment” added Neira.
They call for a “quick stop” on the use of fossil fuels
The study in question collects data on air quality in more than 6,000 cities, as well as in other population settlements, from 117 countries, the same ones that represent approximately 80% of urban environments.
Neira mentions that the WHO used satellite technology and mathematical models to determine the deficiency of air in almost the entire globe; however, he notes that the lowest air quality was found in regions of the Eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, and Africa.
Given this, the WHO points out that these data are alarming and highlight the need and importance of “quickly stopping” the use of fossil fuels.
For his part, the director general of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stressed that the increase in energy prices, as a result of the war in Ukraine, should help promote the transition to “cleaner and healthier energy systems”.
“The high prices of fossil fuels, energy security and the urgency of tackling the double health challenge of air pollution and climate change, highlight the urgent need to move more quickly towards a world much less dependent on fossil fuels. fossils,” the manager said in a statement.
Sulfate and black carbon, two harmful particles in the air
The report provides data on the concentrations of hazardous particles in a given area, showing the presence of sulfate and black carbon, which pose the greatest health risks because they can penetrate deep into the lungs or cardiovascular system.
For the first time, the report shows measurements of the average annual concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a common urban pollutant, closely associated with respiratory diseases, especially asthma.
It is further revealed that although most cities have problems with NO2, problems related to particulate air pollution are worse in low-resource countries.
Of the nearly 4,000 cities in 74 countries, in which data on NO2 was collected, it was determined that only 23% meet the standards established for air quality by the WHO.
With AFP and WHO
#worlds #population #breathes #polluted #air