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Breathing is more dangerous than smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol.
This is according to the latest report from the Institute for Energy Policy at the University of Chicago, which says that air pollution now takes more than two years of life expectancy in the world – more than cigarettes, alcohol or conflict and terrorism.
The annual report, known as the Air Quality of Life Index, or AQLI, was released on Tuesday. He found that air pollution with dust particles – a mixture of pollutants such as smoke, fumes, dust and pollen – remained high even as the coronavirus pandemic slowed the global economy and brought blue skies to some of the world’s most polluted areas.
At the same time, evidence of the health risks associated with pollution has grown, the index said, adding that world leaders are not treating the problem with the urgency it deserves.
“It would be a global emergency if Martians came to Earth and sprayed a substance that caused the average person on the planet to lose more than two years of life expectancy,” said Michael Greenstone, director of the Energy Policy Institute in Chicago. the press. .
“This is similar to the situation that prevails in many parts of the world,” he said. “Except we’re spraying matter, not some space invaders.”
Air pollution can lead to strokes, heart disease, lung cancer and other respiratory diseases, according to the World Health Organization. This is about to reduce the average life expectancy worldwide by 2.2 years, the report said.
In comparison, smoking cigarettes reduces life expectancy by about 1.9 years, while drinking alcohol reduces it by eight months. Unsafe water and sewage lead to a seven-month reduction in life expectancy, according to AQLI, with conflicts and terrorism reduced by just nine days.
Unlike cigarettes or alcohol, according to the researchers in the report, air pollution is “almost impossible to avoid.”
Due to growing health risks, last year, for the first time since 2005, the WHO updated its guidelines on the acceptable level of air pollution that people should breathe, from the recommended ceiling of 10 µg / m3 to 5 µg / m3. According to the revised indicator, approximately 97 percent of the world’s population lives in places where air pollution exceeds the recommended level, according to the AQLI analysis.
South Asia is the most polluted region in the world, according to the report – and the place where air breathing is most deadly. Rising levels of pollution come with the development of the region and population growth, leading to greater use of fossil fuels.
Bangladesh is the most polluted country, while approximately 44 percent of the world’s most polluted since 2013 comes from India.
If current levels are maintained, South Asians are expected to lose an average of about five years of life. New Delhi, the capital of India, is “the most polluted metropolis in the world”, the report said, with average annual pollution levels reaching more than 21 times the WHO guidelines.
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More than 97 percent of Central and West Africa is estimated to have hazardous levels of pollution according to WHO standards. This is compared to 92.8% of the United States and 95.5% of Europe with air quality, which is worse than recommended.
The United States and Europe are “largely successful in enforcing strict pollution rules,” the report said, but a renewed government focus on the issue is needed.
A sustained reduction in air pollution in line with WHO guidelines would add 2.2 years to the average life expectancy worldwide, increasing it from about 72 to 74.2 years. The world’s population will earn a total of 17 billion years of life, the report said.
Researchers cite China as an example of a country that has successfully purified its air.
After China recorded some of its highest levels of pollution in 2013 the government declared a “war on pollution.” He banned new coal-fired power plants in certain regions, called for existing plants to reduce emissions and forced big cities to limit the number of cars on the road.
The measures have helped reduce dust pollution in China by nearly 40 percent – although it still exceeds the WHO recommended level – and added about two years to life expectancy there.
Greenstone told The Washington Post that he expects a “modest increase” in pollution in the coming years as more countries double coal and other fossil fuels in response to the global energy crisis.
“Among fossil fuels, coal is a champion in terms of air pollution with dust particles, which makes people live shorter and sicker lives today and increase the speed of climate change,” he said.
Air pollution is “deeply intertwined” with climate change, the report said, so tackling it could kill two birds in one fell swoop.
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“Policies can simultaneously reduce dependence on fossil fuels, which will allow people to live longer and healthier lives and reduce the cost of climate change,” the researchers wrote.
But that requires more funding and political will, they said. Less than $ 45 million is spent by all philanthropic organizations on air pollution each year worldwide, representing 0.1 percent of the total annual grant, writes Christa Hasenkopf, director of AQLI, in the introduction to the report.
“A relatively small increase in support can have a huge impact, filling key gaps in air quality management, such as access to continuous, reliable air quality monitoring data,” she wrote.
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