Only seven countries met WHO air quality standards in 2024, with Chad and Bangladesh being the most polluted. Significant data gaps hinder global assessments, especially after the US ended its monitoring program. The situation is exacerbated by climate change, and experts warn that the closure will severely impact pollution data access in many nations.
In a recent report by the World Health Organization (WHO), only seven countries were found to meet air quality standards, highlighting a dire situation in global air quality. Chad and Bangladesh ranked as the most polluted nations in 2024, exhibiting average smog levels exceeding WHO guidelines by over 15 times. The countries that successfully adhered to WHO standards included Australia, New Zealand, the Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Estonia, and Iceland, according to data from IQAir, a Swiss air quality monitoring firm.
The report indicated that significant data shortages, particularly in Asia and Africa, hinder the accurate assessment of global air conditions. Developing nations often depended on air quality monitors stationed at US embassies and consulates. However, the US State Department has recently terminated this program due to budget limitations, resulting in the removal of over 17 years of critical air quality data, including measurements from Chad, from the government’s air monitoring site, airnow.gov.
Christi Chester-Schroeder, IQAir’s air quality science manager, expressed concern about the impact on African nations, stating, “Most countries have a few other data sources, but it’s going to impact Africa significantly, because oftentimes these are the only sources of publicly available real-time air quality monitoring data.”
Chad, which was excluded from IQAir’s 2023 data due to these gaps, was still identified as the most polluted country in 2022, suffering from dust from the Sahara and rampant agricultural burning. In 2023, hazardous PM2.5 particles in Chad reached an alarming 91.8 micrograms per cubic meter, compared to the WHO recommended maximum of 5 mg/cu m, which was only met by 17 percent of cities last year.
India ranked fifth among the highest polluting countries, with an average PM2.5 concentration of 50.6 mg/cu m, a decrease of 7 percent from the previous year. Despite this improvement, India contributed 12 of the 20 most polluted cities, with Byrnihat recording the highest level at 128 mg/cu m. Meanwhile, climate change exacerbates air pollution, as increased heat leads to more severe and prolonged forest fires across Southeast Asia and South America.
Christa Hasenkopf, director of the Clean Air Program at the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute (EPIC), noted that the closure of the US monitoring program would deny at least 34 countries access to reliable pollution data. The program previously helped improve air quality in monitored cities, enhancing life expectancy and reducing allowances for US diplomats due to better environmental conditions. Hasenkopf remarked that this termination is a significant setback for global air quality initiatives.
In summary, the WHO’s recent findings underscore alarming levels of air pollution, particularly in Chad and Bangladesh, with the closure of the US air quality monitoring program further complicating the situation. As developing countries struggle with limited data and increasing pollution levels, climate change continues to worsen air quality. Significant gaps in reliable data access threaten efforts to combat pollution, emphasizing the need for renewed commitment to global air quality standards and monitoring initiatives.
Original Source: www.arabnews.com
