In 2023, South Asia surged to the forefront of global air pollution, with Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India recording some of the highest levels of particulate matter in the world. According to a report released on Tuesday, these countries experienced PM2.5 concentrations approximately 15 times above the World Health Organization's recommended limits.
Bangladesh topped the list with average PM2.5 levels reaching 79.9 micrograms per cubic meter, closely followed by Pakistan at 73.7 micrograms. To put this into perspective, the WHO advises that PM2.5 levels should not exceed 5 micrograms per cubic meter.
Christi Chester Schroeder, air quality science manager at IQAir, a Swiss monitoring organization, explained, \"Because of the climate conditions and the geography in South Asia, pollution has nowhere to disperse, causing PM2.5 concentrations to skyrocket.\" She further highlighted that factors like agricultural practices, industrial activities, and high population density exacerbate the situation. Schroeder ominously noted, \"Unfortunately, it really does look like it will get worse before it gets better.\"
Last year, Bangladesh was ranked fifth worst for air quality, while India was eighth. The health implications are severe; in Bangladesh, roughly 20 percent of premature deaths are linked to air pollution, with healthcare costs accounting for up to 5 percent of the country's GDP, according to Md Firoz Khan from Dhaka's North South University.
India's capital, New Delhi, was particularly hard-hit, recording PM2.5 levels of 92.7 micrograms—11 times higher than the WHO standard. Meanwhile, China saw a slight increase in PM2.5 levels, reaching 32.5 micrograms after five years of consistent decline.
Only a handful of countries met WHO air quality standards in 2023, including Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius, and New Zealand. The IQAir report utilized data from over 30,000 monitoring stations across 134 countries and regions.
Notably, Chad, previously the most polluted country in 2022, was excluded from the 2023 rankings due to data inconsistencies, along with Iran and Sudan. Christa Hasenkopf from the University of Chicago's Energy Policy Institute emphasized the need for global efforts in air quality monitoring, stating, \"It's stunning that we don't have an organized global effort to deploy resources to close these data gaps, especially in places where the health burden of air pollution has been largest.\"
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
