Air pollution contributes to 9 million deaths

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/air/air-pollution-killing-nine-million-a-year-as-warming-worsens-air-quality-worldwide-un-report-warns

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Context:

UNEP’s Global Environment Outlook-7 (2025) finds that air pollution causes 9 million deaths every year, with 99% of the global population exposed to unhealthy air.

What are the key findings of report?

According to Global Environment Outlook report:

• Air pollution causes 9 million deaths every year, and 90% of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, highlighting severe environmental injustice.
• 99% of the world’s population is exposed to harmful air pollutants, indicating an almost universal health risk.
• Climate change increases heatwaves, intensifies wildfires and raises ozone formation, which together worsen air pollution levels.
• The planet has been warming at the rate of 26 degrees Celsius per decade between the years 2014 and 2023, and the year 2024 recorded 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average.
• Methane emissions have increased by 20% between the years 2000 and 2020.
• Fine particulate matter concentrations have declined in regions such as North America, Europe, Southeast Asia and parts of Africa, while cities like Delhi, Tehran and Lagos continue to experience extremely hazardous levels.

What are the multidimensional implications?

Human health: Air pollution today contributes not only to respiratory diseases but also to dementia, cognitive decline in children and Type-2 diabetes, as shown by a Lancet Planetary Health study which links long-term exposure to fine particulate matter with nearly 2 million diabetes cases annually, shifting India’s and the world’s policy discourse toward chronic non-communicable diseases.

Socio-Economic losses: The combined burden of pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss costs the world several trillion dollars every year, evidenced by the World Bank’s estimate that air pollution alone reduces global GDP by over 5 trillion dollars due to lost labour income and health expenditure, threatening Sustainable Development Goal progress and destabilising fiscal capacity in developing economies.

Ecological Implications: Persistent air pollution damages forests, accelerates soil degradation and disrupts nutrient cycles, as seen in the Western Himalayan region, where black carbon deposition has accelerated glacier melt.

Agricultural implications: Ozone pollution reduces crop yields, with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research estimating wheat and rice yield losses up to fifteen percent in northern India due to tropospheric ozone.

Governance Implications: Megacities like Delhi, Tehran and Lagos face chronic air quality emergencies that expose gaps in urban planning such as inadequate public transport, poor waste management and lack of airshed-based coordination. Cases such as the Ghazipur and Brahmapuram landfill fires show how mismanaged urban waste becomes a recurring environmental hazard.

Geopolitical Implications: Conflict zones experience severe deterioration in air quality, as seen in the Russia–Ukraine conflict, where particulate matter levels rose almost ten percent, demonstrating how war exacerbates environmental risks.

Equity and Justice Implications: 90% of pollution-related deaths occur in low and middle income countries, highlighting deep environmental inequities where vulnerable populations shoulder disproportionate health and economic burdens.

What are the challenges that need to be tackle?

Waste and methane challenges: India is among the world’s largest solid waste generators, producing more than 100 and 60,000 tonnes per day, and case studies such as the Ghazipur landfill fire in 2022 and the Brahmapuram fire in Kerala in 2023 show how unmanaged dump sites release massive quantities of methane and fine particulate matter, worsening air quality across entire urban airsheds.

Governance challenges: Air quality governance remains fragmented across agencies such as the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Central Pollution Control Board, State Pollution Control Boards and municipal bodies, leading to overlapping mandates and poor accountability.

Weak compliance with climate agreements: The failure of major economies to meet their commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement has prolonged dependence on fossil fuels, indirectly worsening pollution levels, as seen in the United Nations Emissions Gap Report, which warns of a catastrophic 2.5-to-2.9-degree Celsius warming trajectory.

Need for strong regulation of short-lived climate pollutants: Short-lived climate pollutants such as methane require tighter global frameworks, illustrated by the limited progress under the Global Methane Pledge, where many large emitters have yet to establish national methane abatement strategies.

Absence of protocols for airborne microplastics: No dedicated multilateral treaty regulates microplastic air pollution, even though studies such as the 2023 Himalayan atmospheric deposition survey show microplastics being transported across continents and depositing in fragile ecosystems.

Picture Courtesy: Hindustan Times

What are the government of India initiatives to tackle air pollution?

• National Clean Air Programme (2019): The National Clean Air Programme aims to reduce fine particulate matter levels by 40% by 2026 across 131 non-attainment cities, using targeted action plans for transport, waste burning, industry and dust control.

• Commission for Air Quality Management (2021): The Commission for Air Quality Management was created through an Act of Parliament to manage air quality across Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, covering an airshed impacting over 50 million people.

• Graded Response Action Plan: The Graded Response Action Plan prescribes four escalating stages of action—moderate, poor, very poor and severe—triggering specific measures such as halting construction and shutting industrial units when pollution crosses numerical thresholds under the Air Quality Index.

• Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles Policy: The Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles Policy provide incentives for electric two-wheelers, three-wheelers, cars and buses, targeting 30% electric mobility by 2030 and reducing vehicular pollution that contributes up to 40% of urban particulate matter in major cities.

• Bharat Stage VI Emission Norms: Bharat Stage Six fuel norms, implemented nationwide in 2020, reduced sulphur content in fuel to 10 parts per million, enabling advanced vehicle emission technologies that cut nitrogen oxides and particulate matter by up to 70% in new vehicles.

• National Biofuel Policy and Clean Cooking Initiatives: The National Biofuel Policy targets 20% ethanol blending by 2025, reducing vehicular emissions and reliance on fossil fuels.

Conclusion:
The UNEP and its Global Environment Outlook show that the world is entering a phase of converging environmental crises, where pollution, climate change and ecosystem decline reinforce each other and disproportionately harm vulnerable populations. Strengthening science-based policy, accelerating clean transitions and deepening global cooperation are now imperative to safeguard both human well-being and planetary stability.

Source: Down to Earth