In 2013, 1 in 10 premature deaths worldwide was attributable to air pollution. Losses of human life which slow down the international economy, according to the World Bank.
The planet is suffocating, its economy is choking. In 2013, 5.5 million premature deaths were attributable to air pollution, or one in 10 deaths worldwide. Preventable deaths weigh heavily on global economy, says world bank report made public on Thursday.
Both on a global and national scale, air pollution has become a threat to human health. Nearly 9 out of 10 people now live in an area where it exceeds the air quality thresholds set by the World Health Organization (WHO). It is especially the developing countries that are the main victims: almost all the deaths are recorded there.
More worryingly, children under 5 living in these countries are 60 times more likely to die from the consequences of pollution than those in rich countries. In question: the still too important place of polluting fuels such as coal, animal waste or agricultural residues which increase indoor air pollution.
225 billion lost revenue
But according to this new World Bank report, air pollution is not only the cause of death or serious illness, it is also a drag on the global economy. According to 2013 estimates, air pollution has cost $225 billion in lost income, or some $5,110 billion in lost well-being (medical expenses, lost income from sick leave, deterioration of health …). “It’s the equivalent of the gross domestic product of India, Canada and Mexico combined, which makes you think,” comment the authors of this report.
Here again, it is the regions whose growth is soaring that pay the high price. Welfare losses in Southeast Asia and the Pacific cost more than 7% of their gross domestic product, compared to 5% in Europe and Central Asia and 2.8% in North America. “Country after country, the cost of pollution in human lives and quality of life is too high. We must work together to reduce it,” write the authors, recalling that this can only be done by improving air quality.
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