Pollution continues to harm millions

According to a research, one in every six fatalities in 2019 was caused by air, chemical, or water pollution.

According to the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health, pollution caused nine million deaths globally in 2019, a statistic that has remained constant since 2015.

More than 90% of pollution-related deaths occur in low- and middle-income nations, according to the report, and most governments have done nothing to address the “enormous” public health crisis.

The paper, which was published in the Lancet Planetary Health, cautioned that pollution is the world’s leading cause of sickness and early death, and that climate change and wildlife loss are inextricably intertwined.

Researchers believe that addressing one of the problems might assist with the others.

A quick shift away from all fossil fuels, which release pollutants like particulate matter and nitrogen oxides, as well as carbon emissions, when used for electricity in automobiles, boilers, or power plants, would help combat air pollution and limit climate change, according to the paper.

The number of deaths attributable to pollution associated with severe poverty, such as filthy water, a lack of sanitation, and home air pollution from burning fuels like wood for cooking and heating, has decreased, according to experts.

However, increases in mortality due to outdoor air pollution and harmful substances like lead poisoning counterbalance this.

The study, which called for worldwide action, warned of the huge health, social, and economic consequences of pollution as a result of growing industrialisation, unregulated city expansion, population growth, and a lack of regulation.

The study’s principal author, Richard Fuller, said: “The worldwide development agenda primarily ignores pollution control. Despite well-documented increases in public concern about pollution and its health implications, attention and investment have only slightly grown since 2015.”