In countries where air pollution levels are lower than those set by the World Health Organization (WHO), people lose an average of 2.2 years.
In northern India, 480 million people breathe 10 times more pollution than anywhere else on the planet. In some parts of the region, including Delhi and Kolkata, residents could lose an average of nine years if the pollution levels continue in 2019.
The index calculates the life expectancy of a country if it complies with the World Health Organization’s guidelines for fresh air.
The five countries with the highest average loss per year were all in Asia. After coming to India, the population lost an average of 5.4 years, followed by Nepal (5 years), Pakistan (3.9 years) and Singapore (3.8 years).
According to the report, air pollution is mainly caused by the use and production of fossil fuels, “a global problem that requires strong policies on all fronts.”
The study shows how the world has enjoyed a clear sky and air as the epidemic has slowed down air travel and reduced road traffic and production. At the same time, some parts of the world are experiencing severe air pollution from wildfires, exacerbated by hot and dry climates. In some parts of the United States, wildfires spread throughout the country, affecting air quality as far as New York City.
“These phenomena show that air pollution is not only a global challenge but also a climate change. Both challenges are mainly caused by one criminal – fossil fuels from power plants, vehicles and other industrial sources, ”the report said. . He called on governments to urgently implement policies to reduce dependence on fuels such as coal, oil and gas.
“Air Quality Life Indicators Strong pollution policies show that people around the world will pay for more years.
World leaders will convene in Glasgow, Scotland, in November for the COP26 global climate talks, and the “uninterrupted coal” expiration date is high on the agenda. Some fossil fuel companies are arguing about the future by “capturing” enough greenhouse gases from their fuels to prevent them from entering the atmosphere, leading to air pollution and climate change.
Asian megas are in danger
Excavations up to the city level, people in Asian megatitis are suffering from some high levels of pollution, and they have a significant impact on their survival.
In the Indonesian city of Bandang, for example, the average life expectancy is about seven years, and in the capital, Jakarta, about six years.
The harmful effects of air pollution on life expectancy in Central and West Africa “can be compared to well-known risks such as HIV / AIDS and malaria,” the report said.
More than half of the 611 million people in Latin America are exposed to air pollution. Air pollution in the region reduces the average life expectancy by five months, but that varies from place to place. In the Peruvian capital, Lima, people can expect to live an average of 4.7 years.
China’s ‘War on Pollution’
But there is reason for hope. Every year, from 1998 to 2016, China was among the five most polluted countries. But It has reduced pollution by 29% since the “War on Pollution” in 2013: reduced by three-quarters of air pollution worldwide.
That reduction – if continued – restored the Chinese life expectancy of 1.5 years, lowering the average loss to 2.6 years.
“China and the United States and Europe have taken decades and rest to achieve the same level of pollution that China has achieved in six years,” the report said.
London was once known as the “Great Smoke” for the polluted air, and Los Angeles was once the “smoke capital of the world.”
Today, Americans face 62% less pollution than in 1970. Similarly, Europeans were exposed by an average of 27% two decades ago – and as a result have a four-month life expectancy.
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