India posted the world’s average annual exposure to the highest PM 2.5 concentration last year, according to the State of Global Air 2020 (SOGA 2020) report released on Wednesday.
India was followed by Nepal, Niger, Qatar and Nigeria with high exposures to PM 2.5. This means that people in India are exposed to the highest concentrations of PM 2.5 globally.
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The report also said India has been seeing an increase in PM 2.5 pollution since 2010, contrary to the Center’s claims that annual air pollution levels in the country are falling. Of the 20 most populous countries, 14 have seen a gradual improvement in air quality, but India, Bangladesh, Niger, Pakistan, and Japan are among those with modest increases in air pollution levels.
SOGA, published by the US-based Health Effects Institute and Global Burden of Disease (GBD), uses both ground and satellite monitor data to conduct its assessments. To estimate annual average PM2.5 exposure or concentrations, GBD scientists link the concentrations in each block (they divide the world into blocks or grids) with the number of people living within each block to produce a weighted annual average concentration. by population.
World map of population-weighted annual mean PM2.5 concentrations in 2019. (Source)
Of the 87 health risk factors based on the total number of deaths caused in 2019 evaluated by the team, air pollution has the fourth highest risk globally, preceded by high systolic blood pressure, tobacco and dietary risks. But in India, air pollution is the highest risk factor due to the huge burden of premature deaths to which it contributes.
India is also among the ten countries with the highest exposure to ozone (O3) in 2019. Qatar recorded the highest exposure to O3, followed by Nepal and India. Among the 20 most populous countries, India recorded the largest increase (17%) in O3 concentrations in the last ten years.
On average, global ozone exposure increased from approximately 47.3 parts per billion (ppb) in 2010 to 49.5 ppb in 2019. O3 is a major respiratory irritant that is not released directly into the air, but rather forms in a complex chemical interaction between nitrogen oxides. (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC) in the presence of sunlight. NOx is emitted from the burning of fossil fuels (oil, gas, and coal) in motor vehicles, power plants, industrial boilers, and domestic heating systems. Motor vehicles also emit volatile organic compounds, as well as oil and gas extraction and processing and other industrial activities.
Change in population weighted annual average exposure to PM2.5 in the 20 most populous countries, 2010-2019. (Originally)
However, the only positive side of India is that it has managed to reduce the number of people exposed to household air pollution. China reduced the percentage of its population exposed to household air pollution from 54% to 36%, while India reduced its percentage from 73% to 61% during the decade.
Since 2010, more than 50 million fewer people have been exposed to household air pollution. The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana household LPG program and other schemes have helped to dramatically expand access to clean energy, especially for rural households, the Health Effects Institute said in a statement.
“Right now, the data indicates that there was a modest increase in PM2.5 levels outdoors in India over the last decade. We know from experience elsewhere that the air pollution problem is unlikely to be solved any time soon. With the National Clean Air Program and the introduction of BS-VI emission standards, India has started to take steps to improve air quality and it is critical that efforts continue and expand in the coming years to see improvements in air quality. air quality. This will require concerted action at the national, state and local levels, ”said Pallavi Pant, a scientist at the Health Effects Institute.
Top 10 Countries with Highest Population-Weighted Annual Average Exposures to PM2.5 in 2019
“Given the high exposure and staggering health burden of air pollution, India must show urgency and recognize air pollution as a problem on a regional scale. The National Clean Air Program should expand beyond urban centers with an open air approach that prioritizes local and regional mitigation measures to achieve clean air goals for India, ”said Sagnik Dey, Associate Professor, IIT Delhi .
The Union environment minister Prakash Javadekar has said on various platforms that Delhi’s air has improved significantly since 2016, while reports from the Central Pollution Control Board suggest that air pollution in India it is decreasing. Javadekar had said in the Lok Sabha last year that the government would solve the problem of toxic air pollution in Delhi in less than 15 years, the time it took Beijing to curb a similar problem.
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