The State of Global Air 2019 Report

The State of Global Air 2019 report, released on April 3, 2019, brings into one place the latest information on air quality and health for countries around the globe. It is produced annually by the Health Effects Institute (HEI) and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) – both in the US - as a source of objective, peer-reviewed air quality data and analysis.

The report presents the latest information on worldwide air pollution exposures and health impacts. It draws from the most recent evidence produced as part of the Global Burden of Dis­ease (GBD) project of IHME.

Key global messages of the report:

·      More than 90 percent of the world’s population lives in areas where fine particle levels exceed WHO Guideline for healthy air.

·      Air pollution is the fifth leading risk factor for mortality worldwide. Each year, more people die from air pollution-related diseases than from road traffic injuries or malaria.

·      In 2017, air pollution is estimated to have contributed to close to 5 million deaths globally — nearly 1 in every 10 deaths.

·      Air pollution exposures, including exposure to outdoor fine particulate matter (PM2.5), household air pollution (HAP), and ozone, have been linked with increased hospitalizations, disability, and early death from respiratory diseases, heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and diabetes. Most (82%) deaths are from chronic non-communicable diseases.

·      In 2017, exposure to PM2.5 was the third leading risk factor for deaths and years of healthy life lost due to type 2 diabetes, after high blood sugar and high body mass index.

·      Life expectancy: Air pollution collectively reduced life expectancy by 1 year and 8 months on average worldwide, a global impact rivaling that of smoking. This means a child born today will die 20 months sooner, on average, than would be expected in the absence of air pollution.

·      Ambient PM2.5: In 2017, the highest annual average exposures to PM2.5 (population-weighted concentrations) were in South Asia, led by Nepal (100 μg/m3), India (91 μg/m3), Bangladesh (61 μg/m3), and Pakistan (58 μg/m3).

·      The region with the second-highest average PM2.5 exposure was western sub-Saharan Africa with 59 μg/m3.

·      In East Asia, China continues to experience the highest population exposures to PM2.5 (53 μg/m3). However, PM2.5 levels have declined by nearly 20% since the implementation of stringent air pollution controls in 2013.

·      Household Air Pollution: Nearly half of the world’s population — a total of 3.6 billion people — were exposed to household air pollution in 2017.

·      Globally, the proportion of people cooking with solid fuels has declined from about 64% in 2005 to 47% in 2017. However, disparities persist, and less-developed countries continue to suffer the highest exposures to household air pollution.

·      Ozone contributed to approximately 472,000 deaths globally from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) in 2017.

Key messages with respect to India:

·      Air pollution is the 3rd leading risk factor for mortality, accounting for almost 13% of deaths (1.2 million) in India in 2017 alone.

·      Air pollution exposures, including exposure to outdoor particulate matter (PM2.5) and household air pollution (HAP), have been linked to increased hospitalizations, disability, and early death from respiratory diseases, heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and diabetes. Exposure to ambient ozone is linked to COPD.

·      Air pollution is the 3rd leading risk factor in India in 2017, after only dietary risks and high blood pressure. Individually, outdoor air pollution and household air pollution are ranked as the 4th and 10th leading risk factors.

·      The entire Indian population lives in areas with PM2.5 concentrations above the WHO Air Quality Guideline of 10 μg/m3, and only about 15% of the population lives in areas with PM2.5 concentrations below the WHO’s least-stringent target of 35 μg/m3.

·      There were 673,100 deaths due to exposure to outdoor PM2.5, and more than 481,700 deaths due to exposure to HAP.

·      Exposure to outdoor PM accounted for a loss of nearly 1 year and 6 months in life expectancy, and exposure to HAP accounted for a loss of nearly 1 year and 2 months.

WMO Statement on the State of the Global Climate in 2018

The WMO Statement on the State of the Global Climate in 2018 was formally launched at a joint press conference with the UN Secretary General António Guterres, UN General Assembly President María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés and WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas on 28 March 2019 at UN headquarters in New York. The report will be one of WMO’s contributions to a Climate Action Summit at Heads of State level on 23^rd September 2019.

The WMO report on global temperatures, extreme weather and climate change indicators and socio-economic impacts is “yet another strong wake-up call” on the need for more ambitious climate action, according to UN Secretary General António Guterres. It provides a very solid, scientific base for the analysis that is absolutely essential in relation to how climate change is evolving, and as a clear guide to our actions in the future. The report  coincided with a high-level meeting on Climate and Sustainable Development for All convened by the President of the General Assembly.

The WMO climate statement includes input from national meteorological and hydrological services, an extensive community of scientific experts, and UN agencies. It details climate related risks and impacts on human health and welfare, migration and displacement, food security, the environment and ocean and land-based ecosystems. It also catalogues extreme weather around the world.

The WMO Statement on the State of the Global Climate in 2018, its 25^th anniversary edition, shows how the physical signs and socio-economic impacts of climate change are accelerating as record greenhouse gas concentrations drive global temperatures towards increasingly dangerous levels. The report highlights record sea level rise, as well as exceptionally high land and ocean temperatures over the past four years. This warming trend has lasted since the start of this century and is expected to continue.

Climate change continues to accelerate and three things stand out in the report:

1.   We are seeing record highs in land and ocean temperatures, sea levels and greenhouse gas concentrations.

2.   We are seeing, more and more, the dramatic impact of extreme weather conditions. Last year, in the US alone, we saw 14 weather- and climate-related disasters where the devastation cost more than $1 billion dollars each, with a total of some US$49 billion dollars. Worldwide, more than 35 million people were affected by floods. Cyclone Idai in southern Africa was a particularly stark recent example.

3.   The impact on public health is escalating. The average number of people exposed to heatwaves has increased by some 125 million since the beginning of the century, with deadly consequences. The combination of extreme heat and air pollution is proving increasingly dangerous, especially as heatwaves will become longer, more intense and more frequent.

Mr Guterres said: “So, this report proves what we have been saying that climate change is moving faster than our efforts to address it. The climate action summit on 23 September 2019 would seek to inject greater ambition into the fight against climate change. I am telling leaders: Don’t come with a speech; come with a plan.”