In 2024, only seven countries met WHO air quality standards, with Chad and Bangladesh among the most polluted. The US has ended its air quality monitoring program, resulting in significant data gaps, particularly for developing countries. This closure threatens air quality improvement efforts worldwide, especially as climate change worsens pollution. Experts warn of dire consequences for public health and environmental monitoring.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that only seven countries met its air quality standards in 2024. This marked an alarming trend as researchers indicated that combating air pollution would become increasingly difficult following the cessation of the United States’ global monitoring programs.
Chad and Bangladesh were identified as the most polluted nations, exhibiting smog levels over 15 times higher than WHO guidelines, according to data from Swiss monitoring firm IQAir. In contrast, Australia, New Zealand, and several Caribbean nations were among the few that met WHO standards.
Substantial data gaps, particularly in regions like Asia and Africa, hinder an accurate global assessment of air quality. Many developing countries depended on air quality sensors installed on US embassies to monitor pollution levels. Recently, however, the State Department halted this initiative due to budget constraints, removing over 17 years of air quality data from its official site, airnow.gov.
Christi Chester-Schroeder of IQAir highlighted the impact on Africa, noting that these sensors provided crucial real-time air quality data. Chad was excluded from IQAir’s 2023 pollution rankings due to data issues; however, it was previously ranked as the most polluted in 2022 due to dust and crop burning, with PM2.5 levels hitting 91.8 micrograms per cubic meter, significantly exceeding the WHO’s recommended maximum of 5 mg/cu m.
India ranked fifth in pollution levels, with an average PM2.5 of 50.6 mg/cu m, marking a 7% decline from the previous year. However, it still reported 12 of the top 20 most polluted cities, with Byrnihat reaching an alarming 128 mg/cu m.
Christen-Schroeder pointed out that climate change exacerbates air quality issues, with rising temperatures intensifying forest fires in Southeast Asia and South America. Christa Hasenkopf from the University of Chicago’s EPIC noted that the closure of the US air monitoring program would result in at least 34 countries losing access to reliable pollution data, underscoring the program’s importance in improving urban air quality and public health.
The global air quality crisis deepened in 2024, as data revealed only a handful of countries met WHO standards while pollution disparities widened. The ending of US monitoring threatens to undermine progress in fighting air pollution, particularly affecting developing regions reliant on these data sources. Experts stress the implications of climate change on air quality and the need for renewed commitment to global pollution monitoring efforts.
Original Source: www.arabnews.com
