CNN
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According to a new report, air pollution around the world will rise to unhealthy levels in 2021.
The Reported by IQAirAn organization that tracks air quality worldwide, found that average annual air pollution in every country – and 97% of cities – exceeded World Health Organization Air Quality Guidelineswhich was designed to help governments formulate regulations to protect public health.
Only 222 of the 6,475 cities analyzed had average air quality that met WHO standards. Three territories were found to meet WHO guidelines: the French territory of New Caledonia and the US territory of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
India, Pakistan and Bangladesh were among the countries with the worst air pollution, exceeding guidelines by at least 10 times.
Scandinavian countries, Australia, Canada, Japan and the United Kingdom ranked among the best countries for air quality, with average levels that exceeded guidelines by 1 to 2 times.
In the US, IQAir found that air pollution exceeded WHO guidelines by 2 to 3 times in 2021.
“This report underscores the need for governments around the world to help reduce global air pollution,” IQAir North America CEO Glory Dolphin Hams told CNN. “(Fine particulate matter) kills more people every year and governments need to set stricter national air quality standards and explore better foreign policies that promote better air quality.”
Above: IQAir analyzed the average annual air quality for more than 6,000 cities and classified them from the best air quality, blue (meets the WHO PM2.5 guideline) to the worst, purple (exceeds the WHO PM2.5 guideline by 10 times). a Interactive map Available from IQAir.
It is the first major global air quality report based on WHO’s new approach Annual Air Pollution Guidelineswhich was Updated September 2021. The new guidelines drop the acceptable concentration of fine particulate matter – or PM 2.5 – from 10 to 5 micrograms per cubic metre.
PM 2.5 is the smallest pollutant yet the most dangerous. When inhaled, it travels deep into the lung tissue where it can enter the bloodstream. It comes from sources such as fossil fuel burning, dust storms, and wildfires, and has been linked to several health threats, including Asthma, heart disease and other respiratory diseases.
Air quality problems kill millions of people every year. In 2016, approx 4.2 million premature deaths According to WHO was associated with fine particles. If the 2021 guidelines had been implemented that year, the WHO found there could have been about 3.3 million fewer pollution-related deaths.
IQAir analyzed pollution-monitoring stations in 6,475 cities across 117 countries, territories and territories.
In the US, air pollution increased in 2021 compared to 2020. Over 2,400 US cities The analysis showed that Los Angeles air was the most polluted, despite a 6% reduction compared to 2020. Looked at Atlanta and Minneapolis significant increase In pollution, the report found.
“(U.S.) reliance on fossil fuels, increased wildfire intensity, and varying administrations of the Clean Air Act from administration to administration have all contributed to U.S. air pollution,” the authors wrote.
Researchers say the main sources of pollution in the United States are fossil fuel-powered transportation, power generation and wildfires, which wreak havoc on the nation’s most vulnerable and marginalized communities.
“We’re very dependent on fossil fuels, especially for transportation,” said Hammes, who lives a few miles outside of Los Angeles. “We can do it smarter with zero emissions, but we’re not doing it yet. And that’s having a devastating effect on air pollution that we’re seeing in major cities.”
Climate change-fueled wildfires played a significant role in reducing air quality in the United States in 2021. The authors point to a number of wildfires that caused hazardous air pollution—including the Caldore and Dixie fires in California, as well as the Bootleg Fire in Oregon, which Smoke wafted all the way to the east coast In July.
China – which is among the countries with the worst air pollution – showed improved air quality in 2021 More than half of the Chinese cities analyzed in the report had lower air pollution levels than the previous year The capital city of Beijing continued its five-year trend of improved air quality, the report said. Policy-driven drawdown of polluting industries in the city.
The report also found that Amazon Rainforestwhich acted as the world’s main bulwark against the climate crisis, emitting more carbon dioxide than it absorbed last year. Deforestation And fire Threatens critical ecosystems, pollutes air and contributes to climate change.
“It’s all part of the formula that will lead to or lead to global warming.” Hams said.
The report also uncovered some disparities: monitoring stations remain few in Africa, South America and some developing countries in the Middle East, resulting in a lack of air quality data in those regions.
“When you don’t have that data, you’re really in the dark,” Hammes said.
Hams noted that the African country of Chad was included in the report for the first time due to improvements in its monitoring network. According to IQAir, Bangladesh’s air pollution last year was the second highest in the world.
Tariq Benmarhania, a climate change epidemiologist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography who studies the health effects of wildfire smoke, also noted that relying solely on monitoring stations could lead to blind spots in these reports.
“I think it’s great that they relied on different networks and not just official sources,” Benmarhnia, who was not involved in the report, told CNN. “However, many regions do not have enough stations and alternative strategies exist.”
United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change His 2021 report concluded That, in addition to slowing global warming, curbing fossil fuel use would have the added benefit of improving air quality and public health.
Hammes says the IQAir report is even more reason for the world to phase out fossil fuels.
“We get the report, we can read it, we can internalize it and really commit ourselves to taking action,” he said. “A big step towards renewable energy is needed. We must take drastic action to reverse the tide of global warming; Otherwise, the effect and train we are on (will be) irreversible.”
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