The World Health Organization (WHO) announced Monday that 99 per cent of people on Earth breathe air that comprises numerous contaminants, citing poor air quality for millions of deaths each year.
According to new data from the UN health organization, air pollution affects every part of the globe, albeit the problem is far worse in developing nations.
“Almost the entire global population (99 percent) breathes air that exceeds WHO air quality limits, and threatens their health,” the organization said in a statement.
WHO had already established that about 90 per cent of the world’s population was impacted in its previous report from 2018, but it has subsequently expanded its boundaries.
According to the WHO, the evidence base for the harm caused by air pollution is quickly advancing, and even low levels of certain air pollutants can cause serious illness.
Despite UN statistics suggesting that pandemic lockdowns and travel restrictions improved air quality for a short time in 2021, WHO warned that air pollution continues to be a major threat.
The WHO report includes data on air quality from over 6,000 cities and communities in 117 countries. Keeping in view the frightening statistics, the organisation emphasised the need to immediately limit the usage of fossil fuels.
