Hannah Ritchie writes in Sustainability by the Numbers that local air pollution may have peaked globally.
- The World Health organization estimates that around 7 million people die prematurely from local air pollution each year.
- Recent data suggest that local air pollution (gasses like nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, etc.) may have peaked around the world.
- As we explore in our Free Economies are Clean Economies report, economic freedom has a strong correlation to air pollution.
- As countries rise up the economic ladder they are able to afford cleaner burning energy sources, basic healthcare, and new technologies.
“Note that this is not a finger-pointing exercise where rich countries tell poorer ones not to pollute. We’re mostly talking about local air pollution. The negative impacts of pollution are felt by domestic populations. It’s about how we ensure that the poorest countries can gain access to energy, alleviate poverty, and develop while limiting the number of people who die prematurely from air pollution in the process.”
Read the full article here.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.
