What We Breathe, What It Costs
Air pollution kills nearly 8 million people each year, but change is happening. From global reforms to Kenya’s clean-air efforts, here’s what the data reveals.
Thuku Kariuki and Daniel Furnad - When we think of air pollution, we picture the extremes. Urban smog in Los Angeles or New Delhi. Belching coal plants in Germany or Bulgaria. Wind carrying Sahara dust over West African cities, or toward Beijing from Mongolia.
But everyday pollutants shape the air most of us breathe. A global effort is tracking air pollution and its health effects.
The State of Global Air draws on the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) project, a collaboration of thousands of researchers. It relies on Global Burden of Disease (GBD) data to produce global estimates of the impact of 88 environmental, behavioral, and dietary risk factors on health. The assessment covers 204 countries and territories and has run since 1990.
The latest edition has just been released. It reports notable findings on the effects of what we breathe. It also documents actions under way and where gaps remain.
The headline finding is stark: air pollution is the second-leading risk factor for early death. Only high blood pressure is more deadly. Nearly 8 million deaths, about one in eight globally, are linked to polluted air.
What’s in the air? Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is the main threat. Sources include vehicles, residential fuel use, coal power plants, agricultural and industrial activities, waste burning, wildfires, and many other human and natural sources. Across pollutants, long‑term PM2.5 exposure most consistently predicts poor health outcomes.
PM2.5 comes from both outdoor and indoor sources; in many homes, cooking and heating dominate exposure. These exposures account for roughly 8% of global deaths.
They are linked to cardiovascular and respiratory disease, type 2 diabetes, adverse pregnancy outcomes, certain cancers, neurodegeneration, impaired brain development, and accelerated skin aging.
Older adults face cumulative risks; children’s developing bodies are more vulnerable; exposure during pregnancy is tied to low birth weight and prematurity.
Ground‑level ozone is another major pollutant: it harms health, damages plants, and contributes to climate change. It forms when nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) react in sunlight.
These precursors come from burning fossil fuels in vehicles, power plants, factories, and homes, as well as from industrial activities such as oil and gas extraction and processing, and some natural sources.
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) also warrants attention. It stems from transport, power generation, and industrial activities. Average NO2 exposure is comparatively lower in Sub‑Saharan Africa.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued air quality guidelines. In 2024, the United States, the European Union, Brazil, and Uganda announced stricter air quality standards and regulations.
China’s 2015 shift from household coal to cleaner heating reports measurable cardiovascular benefits.
Several African countries have expanded access to clean cooking; Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Lesotho, Nigeria, and the Republic of the Congo saw some of the fastest gains from 2018 to 2023.
In June, Ghana’s Environmental Protection Agency adopted new regulations. They cover emissions from mobile, diffuse, stationary, and point sources, including transport, industry, construction, agriculture, and waste. They also enable enforcement of Ghana’s ambient air quality standards.
Progress is uneven but real, yet the burden of noncommunicable diseases is large and growing, in part due to aging populations. Further mitigation is needed. With better data, broader awareness, and steady policy, cleaner air is achievable.
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