South Asia remains the most air-polluted region in the world.
A new report says air quality in South Asia unexpectedly improved in 2022, leading to a drop in pollution globally, with better weather likely being the contributing factor.
But the region still breathes some of the most polluted air in the world, reducing the average life expectancy of its residents by more than 3.5 years, the annual Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) warns.
And globally, most countries either have no pollution standards or do not meet the standards that have been set, exposing their citizens to air pollution that causes widespread health problems.
Air pollution has increased every year in South Asia for the past two decades, but satellite data for 2022, the most recent year available, shows a surprising 18% decrease.
According to the report, prepared by the Energy Policy Institute (EPIC) at the University of Chicago, all countries in the region recorded declines except Sri Lanka.
“While it is difficult to determine with certainty the causes of the decline in PM2.5 concentrations across South Asia, it is safe to speculate that favourable meteorological conditions have played a role,” the report said, referring to tiny particles that can penetrate deep into the body.
The widespread nature of the decline, along with above-average rainfall across the region in 2022, supports this theory.
“Time will tell whether policy changes are having an effect,” the report added, warning that people in South Asia still breathe air eight times more polluted than the World Health Organisation considers safe.
“Continued observations, enforcement efforts, and monitoring the impact of policy interventions will be crucial to understanding and sustaining these reductions,” the report said.
The decline in South Asia helped global air pollution fall by 9 percent, but other regions, including the Middle East and North Africa, saw pollution soar, with concentrations rising 13 percent from a year earlier.
The report warned that a continuing lack of local air quality data is hindering policy development and implementation.
“Countries with high levels of air pollution and little or no air quality data can easily fall into a vicious cycle where less data leads to less attention and policy investment, which in turn leads to even less demand for data,” said Krista Hasenkov, director of EPIC's Clean Air Program.
Earlier this year, the center established a $1.5 million fund to fund the installation of air quality monitors around the world that will provide open data.
Despite its enormous impact on human health, air pollution receives relatively little funding overall.
For example, in some of Africa's most polluted countries, air pollution “poses a more serious threat to life expectancy than HIV/AIDS, tropical diseases, malaria, or water, sanitation and handwashing,” the report said.
But there are some bright spots, including China's surprisingly successful efforts to combat dirty air.
Measures included limiting the number of cars in large cities, reducing heavy industrial capacity, and banning the construction of new coal-fired power plants in certain areas.
According to the AQLI, the country has seen a 41 percent reduction in air pollution since 2013, bringing it into compliance with national standards, and the average life expectancy of its citizens has increased by two years.
Still, even within China, pollution is more than five times the WHO guideline, and the benefits of Beijing's measures have been unevenly distributed.
Air quality remains poor in several major states, and in some prefectures it has actually worsened since 2013.
More information: aqli.epic.uchicago.edu/wp-cont … 4-Report_English.pdf
© 2024 AFP
Source: Air pollution in South Asia declined in 2022 but remains a leading cause of death: Report (August 28, 2024) Retrieved August 28, 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2024-08-south-asia-air-pollution-fell.html
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