92% of humans breathe overly polluted air
UAE ENJOYS ONE OF THE LOWEST POLLUTION LEVELS GLOBALLY, WHO REPORT SAYS
When it comes to air quality, the UAE enjoys one of the lowest pollution levels globally, with just seven deaths out of every 100,000 directly related to the air we breathe, according to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report.
The findings were revealed as the UAE rolled out a new national “vehicle fuel economy standard” designed to slash vehicle emissions. Led by the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology, the new draft standard will ensure fuel-efficient cars spew far less carbon pollution on UAE roadways and into the atmosphere.
The WHO report says globally, more than nine out of 10 people live in areas where excessive air pollution increases death rates from strokes, heart diseases, lung cancer and other problems.
The data provide countryby-country analysis, with the worst-hit areas being southeast Asia, the eastern Mediterranean and western Pacific regions. In 2012, more than 600,000 people died in India and more than 1 million died in China — all from breathing bad air.
“There are two things happening. One is: rich countries are getting much better in improving the quality of the air. And two: poorer countries are getting worse. That is the overall trend,” said Dr. Carlos Dora, WHO coordinator for environmental and social determinants of health.
The report focuses on outdoor air pollution, which is estimated to kill about 3 million people per year based on 2012 figures, the most recent available. Then, 37,000 people in Bangladesh died from polluted air. Fossil-fuel burning is by far the main man-made source. These include cars, trucks, tractors and boats or industrial processes like power generation and cement-making.
The WHO reports reveals that of the worst three nations, more than 1 million people died from dirty air in China in 2012, at least 600,000 in India and more than 140,000 in Russia.