According to data released on Tuesday, Pakistan remained one of the three smoggiest countries in the world in 2023. Particulate matter levels were around 15 times higher than those advised by the World Health Organization. Bangladesh and India replaced Chad and Iran.
In Bangladesh and Pakistan, the average concentrations of PM2.5 were found to be 79.9 and 73.7 micrograms per cubic meter, respectively, in 2023. These tiny airborne particles cause lung harm. The WHO advises against taking more than five micrograms.
“Because of the climate conditions and the geography (in South Asia), you get this streak of PM2.5 concentrations that just skyrockets because the pollution has nowhere to go,” said Christi Chester Schroeder, air quality science manager at IQAir, a Swiss air-monitoring organization.
“On top of that are factors such as agricultural practices, industry and population density,” she said. “Unfortunately, it really does look like it will get worse before it gets better.”
India was placed ninth and Bangladesh fifth in terms of air quality in 2022.
According to Md. Firoz Khan, a specialist on air pollution at North South University in Dhaka, air pollution causes about 20% of premature deaths in Bangladesh. Additionally, associated medical expenses represent 4%–5% of GDP..
Last year, PM2.5 readings in India were around eleven times higher than the WHO threshold. This indicates an increase in pollution. With 92.7 micrograms, New Delhi, India, was the capital city with the lowest performance.
In China, PM2.5 increased 6.3% to 32.5 micrograms in a year, following five years of annual decreases.
In 2023, the WHO standards were only satisfied by Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius, and New Zealand.
Based on information from over 30,000 monitoring stations spread throughout 134 nations and regions, the IQAir report was produced.
Due to data problems, Chad, which was the most polluted nation in the world in 2022, was left off of the 2023 listings. Sudan and Iran were also removed from the list for 2023.
Christa Hasenkopf, director of the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute’s Air Quality Life Index, reveals that 39% of nations lack any form of public air quality monitoring. Consequently, many people remain unaware of the air they breathe.
“Considering the large potential benefits and relatively low cost, it’s stunning that we don’t have an organised global effort to deploy resources to close these data gaps, especially in places where the health burden of air pollution has been largest,” she stated.
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