According to a new study released by an independent nonprofit research organization, air pollution has now become the second leading global risk factor for death, UNICEF reported.
What's happening?
The fifth edition of the State of Global Air (SoGA) report, released by the nonprofit Health Effects Institute (HEI) in partnership with UNICEF, found that air pollution was responsible for 8.1 million deaths globally in 2021 — and caused debilitating illnesses for many others.
More than 90% of those deaths, or 7.8 million people, were attributed to fine particulate matter, which largely comes from the burning of dirty energy sources and biomass. Fine particulate matter is mainly released by the transportation industry, residential homes, coal-burning power plants, industrial activities, and wildfires.
Children under the age of five were found to be the most susceptible to the effects of air pollution. According to the report, air pollution is the second-leading cause of death in terms of both Total Global Population — where it trails only high blood pressure — and Children Under 5 Years — where it trails malnutrition.
Why is air pollution important?
UNICEF warned that societal failures to eliminate the dirty energy sources that are causing these air pollution-related deaths and illnesses are having a devastating impact on children around the world.
"Despite progress in maternal and child health, every day almost 2,000 children under five years die because of health impacts linked to air pollution," UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Kitty van der Heijden said.
"Our inaction is having profound effects on the next generation, with lifelong health and well-being impacts. The global urgency is undeniable. It is imperative governments and businesses consider these estimates and locally available data and use it to inform meaningful, child-focused action to reduce air pollution and protect children's health."
What's being done about air pollution?
The report noted that there have also been some recent improvements in this area — that even as the problem is getting worse, there are more alternatives to dirty energy emerging. Since 2000, the death rate linked to children under five has dropped by 53% largely thanks to more access to clean energy for cooking.
Many countries are also taking action to track air quality by installing monitors, implementing stricter policies, and promoting hybrid and all-electric vehicles over polluting gas-powered cars.
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