Air pollution is a silent killer. Air pollution has become a public health crisis, affecting 99% of the global population. Nowadays, air pollution has affected not only urban areas but also rural areas to some extent.
Solving this problem requires the support of governments and big business. The efforts of an individual or an organization are not enough to solve this problem. Anticipating the attempt to face this challenge, on September 7, 2020, the United Nations General Assembly announced the ‘International Day of Clean Air for a Blue Sky‘.
How serious is the air pollution problem?
The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has named air pollution “the most serious environmental threat to global public health,” estimating that it causes seven million deaths worldwide each year.
And it affects not only people’s health. This is also a big problem for the world economy. According to World Bank calculations in 2019, the global cost of health problems associated with exposure to air pollution was US$8.1 trillion. That is nearly 6.1% of global GDP.
What are the challenges faced by governments in the air pollution problem?
An official of the Climate and Clean Air Alliance established by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) said:
“Air pollution has many natural and anthropogenic sources, so it is difficult to come up with a single solution. The other thing is that many countries lack air quality monitoring equipment, which is expensive to install and maintain.”
Also, the governments of some countries do not properly understand the seriousness of this problem, which decreases their support for solving it. Some regions lack adequate laws or enforcement mechanisms. Especially in the countries of the third world, the political expectations of the governments and the lack of funds are very serious obstacles.
“Therefore, governments in many Third World countries must undergo a massive attitudinal shift to see clean air restoration as an asset worth investing in.”
What causes air pollution?
According to the World Health Organization, air pollution is a complex combination of solid particles, liquid droplets, and gases. It is measured in terms of particulate matter (PM). Particles 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) or less in diameter pose the most significant threat to human health. Smaller particles can enter the bloodstream, heart, brain, and other organs.
A typical human hair is about 70 micrometers in diameter, and these particles are one-thirtieth of a human hair. Those particles can include soot, soil dust, and sulfates.
Fossil fuel electricity generation, transportation, and indoor air pollution are major sources of harmful fine particles. Also, a natural source of air pollution is dust particles blown by the wind in near deserts.
The wind is the main source of air pollutants in Africa, Western Asia, and Europe. In North America, it is transportation. Industries are cited as a major cause of air pollution in Latin America and the Caribbean. Domestic industries have been identified as the Asia-Pacific region’s main source of air pollution.