IN MANY parts of the world, levels of air pollution remain dangerously high.
This is backed by a new data from the World Health Organization (WHO) which shows that nine out of 10 people breathe air containing high levels of pollutants.
Updated estimates also reveal an alarming death toll of around seven million people every year caused by ambient (outdoor) and household air pollution.
The WHO says that air pollution threatens us all, but the poorest and most marginalized people bear the brunt of the burden.
If we don’t take urgent action on air pollution, we will never come close to achieving sustainable development.
WHO estimates that around seven million people die every year from exposure to fine particles in polluted air that penetrate deep into the lungs and cardiovascular system, causing diseases including stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and respiratory infections, including pneumonia.
Ambient air pollution alone caused some 4.2 million deaths in 2016, while household air pollution from cooking with polluting fuels and technologies caused an estimated 3.8 million deaths in the same period.
It was learned that more than 90 percent of air pollution-related deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, mainly in Asia and Africa, followed by low- and middle-income countries of the Eastern Mediterranean region, Europe and the Americas.
Around 3 billion people – more than 40 percent of the world’s population – still do not have access to clean cooking fuels and technologies in their homes, the main source of household air pollution.
It is good to note that WHO has been monitoring household air pollution for more than a decade and, while the rate of access to clean fuels and technologies is increasing everywhere, improvements are not even keeping pace with population growth in many parts of the world, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
WHO recognizes that air pollution is a critical risk factor for non-communicable diseases or NCDs, causing an estimated one-fourth (24 percent) of all adult deaths from heart disease, 25 percent from stroke, 43 percent from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and 29 percent from lung cancer.
More than 4,300 cities in 108 countries are now included in WHO’s ambient air quality database, making this the world’s most comprehensive database on ambient air pollution.
Major sources of air pollution from particulate matter include the inefficient use of energy by households, industry, the agriculture and transport sectors, and coal-fired power plants.
Coal power generation is no longer socially acceptable in many parts of the country, and most electric power companies have started to prefer natural gas and renewables because they cost less.
We should always remember that air pollution does not recognize borders.
Improving the quality of air demands sustained and coordinated government action at all levels.
It should be the proper time that the different countries need to work together on solutions for sustainable transport, more efficient and renewable energy production and use and waste management.
Governments and partners should bind together in a global effort to improve air quality. (jaypeeyap@ymail.com/PN)
