Lethal air pollution high in 2020 despite lockdowns

Deadly small particle pollution in four of five nations exceeded World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations last year despite Covid lockdowns, according to a report released yesterday.

Concentrations of the lifeshortening particles — cast off by traffic pollution and burning fossil fuels — dropped 11 per cent in Beijing, 13 per cent in Chicago, 15 per cent in New Delhi, 16 per cent in London, and 16 per cent in Seoul. At least 60 per cent of India’s cities were more breathable last year than in 2019, and all had cleaner air than in 2018.

“Many parts of the world experienced unprecedented — but short-lived — improvements in air quality in 2020,” said Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and co-author of the report.

“This meant tens of thousands of avoided deaths from air pollution.”

But only 24 of 106 countries monitored met WHO safety guidelines, said the report, based on the world’s largest database of ground-level air pollution measurements.

China and South Asian nations experienced PM2.5 pollution several times greater than WHO recommended thresholds, and in some regions, the concentration was six to eight times higher.

Twenty-two of the world’s more polluted cities are in India. Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Mongolia and Afghanistan averaged annual PM2.5 concentrations of between 77 and 47 microgrammes per cubic metre of air.

“This report highlights that urgent action is both possible and necessary,” said IQAir chief executive officer Frank Hammes.

Compared with other causes of premature death, air pollution kills 19 times more people each year than malaria, nine times more than HIV/AIDS, and three times more than alcohol.