Almost the entire global population (99%) is breathing in air that is considered unhealthy and a threat to their health, according to a recent report from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
More than 6,000 cities in 117 countries, including Brussels, are now monitoring air quality, resulting in the creation of the most extensive air quality database, helping draw a global picture of the exact extent to which people are breathing unhealthy levels of fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide (NO2).
“After surviving a pandemic, it is unacceptable to still have 7 million preventable deaths and countless preventable lost years of good health due to air pollution," Dr Maria Neira, WHO Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, stated.
She argued that too many investments are "still being sunk into a polluted environment rather than in clean, healthy air," despite the increasingly large amount of air pollution data and evidence of the harm it can cause.
Particulate matter can cause cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and increases the chances of suffering strokes, while NO2 is associated with respiratory diseases, particularly asthma, among others.
Poorer people more affected
The WHO last year lowered almost all the reference thresholds for key air pollutants introduced in 2005 that are harmful to health, following scientific evidence showing how even reduced concentrations of air pollution affect different aspects of health more than previously understood.
According to WHO guidelines, air quality in Belgium is considered “moderately unsafe.” In 2020, Belgium’s average annual concentration of fine particulate matter was 13 µg/m3, which exceeds the recommended maximum of 10 µg/m3, and although the air quality in Brussels is improving, 96% of EU citizens living in cities are still exposed to elevated levels of fine particulate.
Pollution in Brussels. Credit: Belga
As was confirmed in a Brussels-based study, which found its results lined up frequently with socio-economic backgrounds; the WHO found that people in low and middle-income countries suffer much higher exposures.
"In low- and middle-income countries, air quality in less than 1% of the cities complies with WHO recommended thresholds," the WHO stated.
Reduce fossil fuel use
This latest report has prompted the WHO to highlight the importance of curbing fossil fuel use and to call on governments to improve air quality.
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“Current energy concerns highlight the importance of speeding up the transition to cleaner, healthier energy systems,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
“High fossil fuel prices, energy security, and the urgency of addressing the twin health challenges of air pollution and climate change underscore the pressing need to move faster towards a world that is much less dependent on fossil fuels.”
The WHO argued governments should improve their systems to monitor air quality and identify sources of air pollution and should enforce more eco-friendly alternatives to energy and transport methods, and stricter policies for emissions.
