The report also unveiled some inequalities: Monitoring stations remain scant in some developing countries in Africa, South America and the Middle East, resulting in a dearth of air quality data in those regions. “This is all a part of the formula that will lead to or is leading to global warming.” Hammes said. Deforestation and wildfires have threatened the critical ecosystem, polluted the air and contributed to climate change. The report also found that the Amazon Rainforest, which had acted as the world’s major defender against the climate crisis, emitted more carbon dioxide than it absorbed last year. The capital city of Beijing continued a five-year trend of improved air quality, according to the report, due to a policy-driven drawdown of polluting industries in the city. More than half of the Chinese cities analyzed in the report saw lower levels of air pollution compared to the previous year. The authors pointed to a number of fires that led to hazardous air pollution - including the Caldor and Dixie fires in California, as well as the Bootleg Fire in Oregon, which wafted smoke all the way to the East Coast in July.Ĭhina - which is among the countries with the worst air pollution - showed improved air quality in 2021. Why aren't more of them doing it?Ĭlimate change-fueled wildfires played a significant role in reducing air quality in the US in 2021. Kirby Lee/APīig-box stores could help slash emissions and save millions by putting solar panels on roofs. And this is having a devastating impact on the air pollution that we’re seeing in major cities.”Ī general view of solar panels on the roof of a Target store, Thursday, Oct. “We can act smartly on this with zero emissions, but we’re still not doing it. “We are heavily dependent on fossil fuels, especially in terms of transportation,” said Hammes, who lives a few miles from Los Angeles. ![]() Researchers say the main sources of pollution in the US were fossil fuel-powered transportation, energy production and wildfires, which wreak havoc on the country’s most vulnerable and marginalized communities. ![]() “The (United States’) reliance on fossil fuels, increasing severity of wildfires as well as varying enforcement of the Clean Air Act from administration to administration have all added to U.S. Atlanta and Minneapolis saw significant increases in pollution, the report showed. Out of the more than 2,400 US cities analyzed, Los Angeles air remained the most polluted, despite seeing a 6% decrease compared to 2020. In the US, air pollution spiked in 2021 compared to 2020. IQAir analyzed pollution-monitoring stations in 6,475 cities across 117 countries, regions and territories. If the 2021 guidelines had been applied that year, WHO found there could have been nearly 3.3 million fewer pollution-related deaths. In 2016, around 4.2 million premature deaths were associated with fine particulate matter, according to WHO. Millions of people die each year from air quality issues. “(Fine particulate matter) kills far too many people every year and governments need to set more stringent air quality national standards and explore better foreign policies that promote better air quality.”Īllergy season will start much earlier than normal and be far more intense because of climate crisis, study suggests “This report underscores the need for governments around the world to help reduce global air pollution,” Glory Dolphin Hammes, CEO of IQAir North America, told CNN. In the United States, IQAir found air pollution exceeded WHO guidelines by 2 to 3 times in 2021. The Scandinavian countries, Australia, Canada, Japan and United Kingdom ranked among the best countries for air quality, with average levels that exceeded the guidelines by 1 to 2 times. India, Pakistan and Bangladesh were among the countries with the worst air pollution, exceeding the guidelines by at least 10 times. Three territories were found to have met WHO guidelines: the French territory of New Caledonia and the United States territories of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. ![]() ![]() Only 222 cities of the 6,475 analyzed had average air quality that met WHO’s standard. Not only is Lake Powell's water level plummeting because of drought, its total capacity is shrinking, too LAKE POWELL, UTAH - JUNE 24: The tall bleached "bathtub ring" is visible on the rocky banks of Lake Powell on Jin Lake Powell, Utah.
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