Air pollution's deadly toll in Europe

In 2021, air pollution in the European Union was responsible for over 500,000 deaths, with research indicating that adherance to medical guidelines on pollution could have prevented a significant portion of these fatalities.

Ajit Niranjan reports for The Guardian.

In short:

• Nearly half of the deaths could have been prevented if pollution levels were reduced to meet the World Health Organization's recommended limits.
• Eastern and southeastern Europe bear the biggest burden.
• The EU has set a target to achieve a 55% reduction in deaths related to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution by the end of this decade, signaling a commitment to improving air quality.

Key quote:

"The figures released today...remind us that air pollution is still the number one environmental health problem in the EU."

— Virginijus Sinkevičius, EU environment commissioner.

Why this matters:

Air pollution remains a critical global health crisis, responsible for a range of serious health problems. Scientists estimate millions of preterm births and underweight newborns worldwide can be attributed to long-term exposure to air pollution. While Europe has improved air quality through tougher standards for industry, expanded public transport and restricting car traffic, there has been pushback.

How can we, as individuals and communities, contribute to reducing air pollution and safeguarding public health?

AI-based tools helped produce this text, with human oversight and editing.