Earth Today | Minding the air we share
Published:Thursday | August 4, 2022 | 12:06 AM
AS THE world nears another celebration of International Day of Clean Air for blue skies, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has called for collective action to get ahead of the global air pollution problem.
“Air pollution knows no borders and impacts us all, with people living in low- and middle-income countries bearing most of the burden,” noted Sheila Aggarwal-Khan, director of the Economy Division at UNEP, in an August 3 article published on their website.
“The only way to mitigate the health and economic impacts of this problem is through collective action, which includes stronger international cooperation; collecting and sharing data and research and raising public awareness,” she added.
The need to act with urgency is evidenced by air pollution as the single greatest environmental risk factor for premature death after high blood pressure, tobacco and diet, together with the disproportionate impact felt in poorer countries, according to information from UNEP’s 2021 report Air Pollution Series – Actions on Air Quality – A Global Summary of Policies and Programmes to Reduce Air Quality.
“In 2019, more than 92 per cent of the world’s population lived in areas that exceeded the WHO (World Health Organisation) guideline for healthy air. In 2016, 94 per cent of air pollution-related premature deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries,” the report said.
Air pollution also has negative consequences for welfare costs and economic activity.
“The annual global welfare (non-market) costs of premature deaths from outdoor air pollution, calculated using estimates of the individual willingness-to-pay to reduce the risk of premature death, have been estimated at between US$3 trillion and US$5.7 trillion in 2016. They are projected to rise to between US$18 trillion and US$25 trillion in 2060,” the report added, quoting data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the World Bank.
The report, among other things, assesses actions in key sectors that contribute to air pollution, “focusing on industrial emissions, transportation, solid waste management, household air pollution and agriculture emissions”.
So far, it said, there is progress within countries to retain or otherwise restore clean air. Those efforts include air quality monitoring and emission performance standards. Yet, there is still some way to go, including in the area of financing.
“Even when standards are in place, there are practical limitations on their enforcement, often as a result of inadequate public funding for air quality management planning efforts in municipal, state and national governments,” said the report, which reviews countries’ policy actions concerning the mandate of United Nations Environment Assembly resolution 3/8 on preventing and reducing air pollution to improve air quality globally.
“… The lack of this level of investment by some countries reflects the competing development priorities that they face. Reframing air quality management efforts to consider the multiple development benefits associated with emission reductions and cleaner air could motivate further investment,” it noted.
This year’s celebration of International Day of Clean Air for blue skies is being observed under theme ‘The Air We Share’ on September 7. Facilitated by UNEP, it is intended to raise awareness and enable actions to improve air quality to ‘ensure that everyone, everywhere can enjoy their right to breathe clean air’.