Air pollution is more dangerous to the health of the average person on planet Earth than smoking or alcohol, with the threat worsening in its global epicenter South Asia even as China fast improves, a study showed Tuesday.
Yet the level of funding set aside to confront the challenge is a fraction of the amount earmarked for fighting infectious diseases, said the research from the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC).
Its annual Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) report showed that fine particulate air pollution -- which comes from vehicle and industrial emissions, wildfires and more -- remains the "greatest external threat to public health."
If the world were to permanently reduce these pollutants to meet the World Health Organization's (WHO) guideline limit, the average person would add 2.3 years onto his or her life expectancy, according to the data, which has a 2021 cutoff.
Fine particulate matter is linked to lung disease, heart disease, strokes and cancer.
Tobacco use, by comparison, reduces global life expectancy by 2.2 years while child and maternal malnutrition is responsible for a reduction of 1.6 years.
Asia and Africa bear the greatest burden yet have some of the weakest infrastructure to deliver citizens timely, accurate data. They also receive tiny slices of an already small global philanthropic pie.
For example, the entire continent of Africa receives less than $300,000 to tackle air pollution.
"There is a profound disconnect with where air pollution is the worst and where we, collectively and globally, are deploying resources to fix the problem," Christa Hasenkopf, director of air quality programs at EPIC, told AFP.
While there is an international financing partnership called the Global Fund that disburses $4 billion annually on HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, there is no equivalent for air pollution.
"Yet, air pollution shaves off more years from the average person's life in the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) and Cameroon than HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other health threats," the report said.
- Bangladesh tops ranking -
Globally, South Asia is the worst impacted region. Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan are in order the top four most polluted countries in terms of annualized, population-weighted averages of fine particulate matter, which are detected by satellites and defined as particles with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less (PM2.5).
Air pollution concentrations are then fed into the AQLI metric which calculates their impact on life expectancy, based on peer-reviewed methods.
Residents of Bangladesh, where average PM2.5 levels were 74 micrograms per cubic meter, would gain 6.8 years of life if this were brought to WHO guidelines of 5 micrograms per cubic meter.
India's capital Delhi meanwhile is the "most polluted megacity in the world" with annual average particulate pollution of 126.5 micrograms per cubic meter.
China, on the other hand, "has had remarkable progress in terms of its war on air pollution" which began in 2014, said Hasenkopf.
Its air pollution dropped 42.3 percent between 2013 and 2021. If the improvements are sustained, the average Chinese citizen will be able to live 2.2 years longer.
In the United States, legislative actions like the Clean Air Act helped reduce pollution by 64.9 percent since 1970, helping Americans gain 1.4 years of life expectancy.
But the growing threat of wildfires -- linked to hotter temperatures and drier conditions d
ue to climate change -- are causing pollution spikes from the western United States to Latin America and Southeast Asia.
For example, California's historic wildfire season of 2021 saw Plumas County receive an average concentration of fine particulate matter more than five times over the WHO guideline.
North America's story of air pollution improvements in recent decades is similar to Europe, but there remain stark differences between western and eastern Europe, with Bosnia the continent's most polluted country.
Artificial Intelligence Analysis
Defense Industry Analyst:
8/10
This article is relevant to the defense industry because it highlights the threat of air pollution and how the global defense industry is not allocating enough resources to combat the issue. The article shows how air pollution is more dangerous to the health of the average person than smoking or alcohol, and how the threat is worsening in South Asia. The article also compares the level of funding set aside to combat air pollution with the funding set aside to combat infectious diseases, and highlights the disparities between the two.
Stock Market Analyst:
6/10
This article is relevant to stock market analysts as it discusses the lack of resources allocated to combatting air pollution, which could have a negative impact on economies as air pollution is linked to a range of health issues that could lead to increased medical costs. The article also highlights the disparities between the funding allocated to fight infectious diseases and the funding allocated to fight air pollution, indicating a potential opportunity for investors.
General Industry Analyst:
7/10
This article is relevant to general industry analysts as it shows how air pollution is the greatest external threat to public health. It also highlights the disparities between the funding allocated to fight infectious diseases and the funding allocated to fight air pollution, as well as the lack of infrastructure in some regions to deliver citizens timely and accurate data. This could lead to an increased demand for resources and services related to air quality testing and monitoring.
Analyst Summary
:
This article discusses the threat of air pollution to global public health, and how the level of funding set aside to combat the issue is a fraction of the amount earmarked for fighting infectious diseases. The article highlights the disparities between the funding allocated to fight infectious diseases and the funding allocated to fight air pollution, and how air pollution is more dangerous to the health of the average person than smoking or alcohol. The article also shows how the threat is worsening in South Asia, and how there is a lack of infrastructure in some regions to deliver citizens timely and accurate data.
Over the past 25 years, there has been an increasing focus on air pollution and its impacts on public health, with an emphasis on reducing emissions from industrial and vehicle sources. There have also been more stringent regulations imposed on businesses to reduce emissions, as well as initiatives to increase public awareness about the dangers of air pollution. However, despite these efforts, the amount of funding allocated to combat air pollution is still a fraction of the amount allocated to combat infectious diseases.
The article shows a correlation between the increasing focus on air pollution and its impacts on public health, and the lack of resources allocated to combat it. It also highlights notable similarities between the disparities between the funding allocated to fight infectious diseases and the funding allocated to fight air pollution, which could have long-term implications for public health.
Investigative
Question:
- 1. What are the most effective methods for reducing air pollution and what resources are needed to implement them?
- 2. How much funding is currently allocated to combat air pollution, and how does this compare to the funding allocated to combat infectious diseases?
- 3.
What are the primary sources of air pollution in South Asia, and how can they be addressed?4. What types of infrastructure are needed to provide citizens with timely and accurate data on air quality?
5. How can governments and industry work together to reduce air pollution and increase public awareness about its impacts?
This AI report is generated by a sophisticated prompt to a ChatGPT API. Our editors clean text for presentation, but preserve AI thought for our collective observation. Please comment and ask questions about AI use by Spacedaily. We appreciate your support and contribution to better trade news.
