Unchecked climate change fuels air pollution crisis, says UN weather agency
By Winfred Watenya
The UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said that unchecked climate change, wildfires, and air pollution continue to have “a spiraling, negative impact on health, ecosystems and agriculture”, with millions of deaths attributed to dirty air.
“Almost everybody on Earth, basically nine out of 10 people breathe air that is essentially unfit for purpose,” said Lorenzo Labrador, Scientific Officer at WMO.
“This means that it is air that exceeds the [UN World Health Organization] WHO guideline limits and contains a high level of pollutants with low and middle-income countries basically being the most affected,” she added.
To coincide with this year’s Clean Air for Blue Skies Day on Saturday 7 September, the UN agency urged governments to protect the health, environment, and economy, given the cost ramifications of air pollution.