Saving Lives: Meeting WHO Guidelines for PM2.5 Emissions Can Save 17.8 Billion Years of Life

2023-09-08 17:00:00

17.8 billion years of life might be saved if the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions were met – 5 micrograms per cubic meter (5 µg/m3 ). 17.8 billion years of life or 2.3 years on average per inhabitant. These figures are put forward in a report from the Energy Policy Institute of the University of Chicago (Epic), published on August 29.

Inequalities depending on the country

Thus, fine particle pollution remains the greatest risk to human health. The impact on health would be, according to Epic, comparable to that of tobacco but more than three times greater than that of the consumption of alcohol or unsafe water.

Faced with this pollution, inequalities are great. “Three-quarters of the impact of air pollution on global life expectancy occurs in just six countries: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, China, Nigeria and Indonesia, where “People lose one to more than six years of their life because of the air they breathe,” said Michael Greenstone, Milton Friedman Professor of Economics Emeritus and co-founder of EPIC.

South Asia is therefore home to the four most polluted countries in the world. If nothing is done, people in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Nepal will continue to lose an average of 5 years of life.

China, a major polluter despite progress

With figures six times higher than WHO recommendations, China is responsible for considerable air pollution. However, the report notes that it managed to reduce it by 42.3% in 10 years, or a gain of 2.2 years of life per inhabitant.

In Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and the Republic of Congo are among the ten most polluted countries in the world. There are locally stratospheric pollution figures, sometimes 12 times higher than WHO recommendations, causing residents to lose more than 5 years of life on average, just like HIV and malaria, which are very present in this region of the world.

In Europe, 98.4% of the territory still does not comply with WHO guidelines. In 2022, the EU committed to lowering its standard from 25 µg/m³ to 10 µg/m³ by 2030, which, if met, might save the world 80.3 million years of life. total.

For better information for governments and populations

The authors of the report regret that the most polluted countries in the world are those which do not have air quality standards. Only 6.8% and 3.67% of governments in Asia and Africa provide air quality data to their populations. As for the infrastructure, it is not in these regions that they are located either.

For example, Africa receives $300,000 per year in donations to fight pollution while Europe, the United States and Canada receive $34 million, the report highlights. Epic calls for better information on air quality from governments and citizens.

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