Only 7 countries met WHO air quality standards in 2024!
Only seven countries met World Health Organization (WHO) air quality standards last year, data showed on Tuesday, as researchers warned that the fight against smog would only get harder after the United States shuts down its global monitoring efforts.
Chad and Bangladesh were the most polluted countries in the world in 2024, with average smog levels more than 15 times higher than WHO guidelines, according to figures compiled by Swiss air quality monitoring firm IQAir. Only Australia, New Zealand, the Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Estonia and Iceland made the grade, IQAir said.
Significant data gaps, particularly in Asia and Africa, cloud the worldwide picture, and many developing countries have relied on air quality sensors mounted in U.S. embassy and consulate buildings to track their smog levels.
However, the State Department recently ended the scheme, citing budget constraints, with more than 17 years of data removed last week from the US government's official air quality monitoring website, airnow.gov, opening a new tab, including readings collected in Chad.
Data concerns meant Chad was dropped from IQAir's 2023 list, but it was also ranked as the most polluted country in 2022, plagued by Saharan dust and uncontrolled crop burning. Average concentrations of tiny, dangerous airborne particles known as PM2.5 reached 91.8 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/cu m) last year in the country, slightly higher than in 2022.
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The WHO recommends levels of no more than 5 mg/cu m, a standard met by only 17% of cities last year.
India, fifth in the smog rankings behind Chad, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, saw an average PM2.5 decline of 7% per year to 50.6 mg/cu m. But it accounted for 12 of the 20 most polluted cities, with Byrnihat, in a heavily industrialized part of the country's northeast, in first place, recording an average PM2.5 level of 128 mg/cu m.
Climate change is playing a growing role in rising pollution, experts warn, with higher temperatures causing fiercer and longer-lasting forest fires that have swept through parts of Southeast Asia and South America.
At least 34 countries will lose access to reliable pollution data after the U.S. program ends. The State Department scheme improved air quality in cities where monitors were installed, increased life expectancy and even reduced risk allowances for U.S. diplomats, meaning it paid for itself. It's a huge blow to air quality efforts around the world.
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