Air Pollution Disaster Preparedness and Adaptation
The Dust We Breathe
• Podcasts
WHAT IS PLANETARY HEALTH?
Air Pollution
Humanity’s impact on Earth’s natural systems is affecting the quality of the air we breathe.
Air pollution is attributed to natural sources like dust storms, and human activities like vehicle emissions, industrial processes, burning wood, and power plants. Inhaled particulate matter (e.g., PM2.5) can penetrate deep into the lungs, causing respiratory issues, heart disease, and other health problems, especially for vulnerable populations. Biomass burning for agriculture in places like equatorial Asia is driving sharp increases in particulate air pollution and associated morbidity and mortality. In some regions, air pollution has become so pervasive that it obscures the sun, altering regional weather patterns, reducing agricultural yields, and accelerating glacial melting.
In addition to particulate pollution, warmer temperatures associated with climate change increase the formation of tropospheric ozone, a main constituent of smog and contributor to cardiorespiratory disease. Warmer temperatures and higher atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations are associated with longer pollen seasons and increased pollen production, intensifying allergic respiratory diseases, such as asthma.
8M Deaths per year
One modelling study concluded that fine particulate and ozone air pollution contribute to more than 8 million all-cause deaths per year.
Air-pollution deaths are substantially more likely in low- and middle-income countries.
Browse the resources below to learn more about air quality and ways to protect the air we breathe.
“… pollution control is highly cost-effective and, because pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss are closely linked, actions taken to control pollution have a high potential to also mitigate the effects of those other planetary threats.”
– Lelieveld et al. Pollution and health: A progress update
Air Pollution Resources
Noncommunicable Diseases Air Pollution
For Many Disabled Fire Victims in Los Angeles, a Continuing Trauma. Inside Climate News.
The Palisades and Altadena wildfires in Los Angeles last year burned thousands of acres and created billions of dollars worth of damage, with many still displaced. From chemical pollution inside homes to damage to medical supplies, this story highlights the increased vulnerabilities disabled people face to the destruction created by wildfires.
• News
Infectious Diseases Air Pollution
Tree cover loss due to fires and pneumonia incidence in the Bolivian Amazon from 2002-2023: An ecological study
Bolivia has lost about 12% of its forest cover since 2000. This abstract shows that tree loss due to fires is strongly associated with higher pneumonia incidence in the Bolivian Amazon, underscoring the need for effective forest preservation to protect both ecosystems and public health.
• Meeting Abstracts/ Reports
Noncommunicable Diseases Air Pollution
This Nation has the Fastest Rising Rate of Cancer Cases — and Deaths — in the World. NPR.
Lebanon is experiencing the fastest rise in cancer rates worldwide, with new cases increasing 162% and cancer-related deaths up 80% over the past 30 years, according to a recent study. The surge is driven by air pollution from vehicles and diesel generators, overuse of agricultural chemicals, and widespread smoking, which is fueling a spike in lung cancer.
• News
Noncommunicable Diseases Air Pollution
Global research trends and hotspots on environmental pollution and primary liver cancer: A bibliometric and visualized analysis. Tropical Medicine and Health.
• Research & Reports
News Related to Air Pollution
Osh State University Builds a Planetary Health Movement in Central Asia
