According to reports from CBS, India's Times of India, Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao and other media, the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) recently released by the Energy Policy Institute (EPIC) of the University of Chicago shows that increasingly serious air pollution is affecting the life span of the population in many parts of the world.
The EPIC official website points out that air pollution caused by fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is the greatest external risk facing human health. As global pollution levels rise, the burden of PM2.5 on human health is also increasing. “Air pollution and its health risks are unevenly distributed around the world,” with the most affected countries generally lacking ways to promote improved air quality.
AQLI data shows that the impact of PM2.5 pollution on human life expectancy is comparable to that of smoking, more than three times that of drinking alcohol and unsafe water sources, and more than five times that of traffic accidents. In the past 20 years, South Asia has experienced explosive population growth, economic development and industrialization, and PM2.5 pollution levels are at least 50% higher than in the early 21st century.
South Asia is home to four of the world's most polluted countries (Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan), where nearly a quarter of the world's population lives, and where the effects of air pollution are most pronounced. If pollution in these four countries is not effectively controlled, residents are expected to lose about five years of life on average; in the most polluted areas, residents will lose even more years of life.
In Bangladesh, life expectancy reduced by pollution reaches 6.8 years on average. CNN reported that the number of cars on Bangladesh’s roads tripled from 2010 to 2020. In New Delhi, the Indian capital with dense population and serious air and water pollution, the average life span of residents has been shortened by more than 10 years. Traditions such as straw burning and the use of brick kilns in South Asian countries also contribute to pollution.
The situation in Southeast Asia is not optimistic either. AQLI's report stated that 99.9% of Southeast Asia is at "unsafe" pollution levels; in the most polluted areas of Southeast Asia, residents are expected to lose 2-3 years of life expectancy.
The AQLI report stated that in some African countries, air pollution poses as serious a threat to people's health as malaria and AIDS. In the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Burundi, the most polluted areas have pollution levels that are almost 12 times higher than World Health Organization standards, shortening the average life expectancy of residents by 5.4 years. "(Air pollution) has become a recognized killer." The report stated that philanthropic funds across the African continent have invested less than $300,000 in combating air pollution, which is only equivalent to the average price of a single-family home in the United States.
AQLI's report particularly highlighted China's remarkable achievements in air pollution control. "The challenge of reducing air pollution on a global scale may seem extremely daunting, but China has achieved remarkable success since 2013." The report said that due to these improvements, China's average life expectancy has been extended by 2.2 years.
In September 2013, China launched the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan, which is China’s first action plan to comprehensively address prominent environmental issues. It mobilized all sectors of society to carry out step-by-step control of coal burning, industry, transportation, dust and loose coal pollution sources on an unprecedented scale.
In 2018, China promulgated and implemented the Three-Year Action Plan to Win the War to Defend Blue Skies. The central ecological and environmental protection inspection system promotes the implementation of various environmental policies and measures to form a closed loop. In March this year, Liu Bingjiang, director of the Atmospheric Environment Department of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, said at a press conference that these top-level designs ensure that my country will become the first developing country in the world to comprehensively control PM2.5 pollution.
From reducing pollutant emissions to strictly controlling new high-energy-consuming and high-pollution industries; from vigorously promoting cleaner production to accelerating the adjustment of the energy structure; from strengthening energy-saving and environmental protection indicator constraints to implementing a new energy-saving and emission-reduction mechanism that combines incentives and constraints... In the past 10 years, China has drawn a curve with the fastest speed in air pollution control in the world. While achieving rapid economic growth, it has achieved significant improvements in ambient air quality. From 2013 to 2022, my country's GDP increased by 69%, the average concentration of PM2.5 dropped by 57%, and the number of heavily polluted days dropped by 92%.
"In Beijing today, the air that people breathe is different from the air during the (2008) Beijing Summer Olympics. Residents are living healthier and longer lives. Looking at the world, this level of pollution reduction is unprecedented." said Michael Greenstone, one of the founders of AQLI.
"Ten years ago, China's capital was often shrouded in thick 'smog'. People closed their windows, put on masks, and turned on the air purifier to the maximum... Ten years later, these efforts have achieved results... China has become a rare success story in Asia, while some regions, including South Asia, are increasingly polluted." CNN wrote, "The AQLI report praises China for its amazing success in controlling pollution. From 2013 to 2021, global pollution levels have declined slightly, which the report says is entirely due to China's results (in pollution control). If China had not made these progress, global average pollution levels would have worsened."
Data released by AQLI in 2022 show that more than three-quarters of the world's total pollution reduction since 2013 has come from China; it took decades and several economic recessions for the United States to achieve the total pollution reduction that China completed in seven years.
“The governments of South Asian countries have also formulated pollution reduction policies, but due to their economic strength and infrastructure, it is very difficult to control pollution.” CNN reported that in China, the government has adopted measures such as restricting motor vehicles in large cities, reducing emissions, and banning new factories in the most polluted areas. A strong willingness to govern coupled with human, financial and other resources has “greatly increased” the possibility of the actions being effective.
"China's (achieved) results show that as long as the government and people have the will and work hard, change can be achieved." CNN said.