A new report has revealed that most of the world suffers from dangerously polluted air, with only 17% of cities meeting international air quality guidelines. The study, published by Switzerland-based air quality database IQAir, analyzed data from 40,000 monitoring stations across 138 countries, highlighting severe pollution hotspots in Africa and South Asia.
Worst Polluted Countries Identified
The report identified Chad, Congo, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India as the nations with the most hazardous air quality. India, in particular, stood out with six of the world’s nine most polluted cities, including Byrnihat in the northeastern state of Meghalaya, which recorded the highest pollution levels globally.
However, experts caution that the true scale of air pollution may be significantly worse due to a lack of monitoring infrastructure. In Africa, for instance, there is just one air quality monitoring station for every 3.7 million people, making accurate assessments difficult.
Efforts to improve air quality monitoring are underway, with nearly 9,000 new locations and 1,000 additional monitors added to the global tracking system this year. Despite this progress, transparency took a hit last week when the U.S. State Department announced it would stop publicly sharing air quality data from its embassies and consulates worldwide.
Health and Environmental Consequences
Long-term exposure to polluted air has severe health consequences, including respiratory illnesses, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that air pollution contributes to around seven million deaths annually.
“If you have bad water, you can tell people to wait for clean water. But with bad air, you cannot tell people to pause breathing,” said Fatimah Ahamad, chief scientist at Malaysia-based Sunway Centre for Planetary Health.
Successful Pollution Control Efforts
While the problem is widespread, some cities have managed to curb pollution through strict regulations. Beijing, Seoul, and Rybnik in Poland have successfully improved air quality by implementing cleaner energy policies, tightening pollution controls on industries and vehicles, and expanding public transportation networks.
Additionally, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) launched a regional agreement to combat transboundary haze pollution, a major issue caused by large-scale forest fires. Though its impact has been limited so far, ten nations have committed to reducing emissions from such fires.
The Link Between Air Pollution and Climate Change
Shweta Narayan, a campaigner at the Global Climate and Health Alliance, emphasized that air pollution and climate change are deeply interconnected. The burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas not only degrades air quality but also releases greenhouse gases that accelerate global warming.
“Air pollution and the climate crisis are two sides of the same coin,” Narayan said, stressing that reducing carbon emissions is essential for both human health and the environment.
With pollution levels remaining dangerously high across much of the world, experts are calling for urgent global action to curb emissions, improve monitoring, and implement stronger environmental regulations.
