Pakistan remained one of the world\u2019s three smoggiest countries in 2023, as Bangladesh and India replaced Chad and Iran, with particulate matter about 15 times the level recommended by the World Health Organization, data published on Tuesday showed. Average concentrations of PM2.5 \u2013 small airborne particles that damage the lungs \u2013 reached 79.9 micrograms per cubic metre in Bangladesh in 2023, and 73.7 micrograms in Pakistan. The WHO recommends no more than 5 micrograms. \u201cBecause of the climate conditions and the geography (in South Asia), you get this streak of PM2.5 concentrations that just skyrocket because the pollution has nowhere to go,\u201d said Christi Chester Schroeder, air quality science manager at IQAir, a Swiss air-monitoring organisation. \u201cOn top of that are factors such as agricultural practices, industry and population density,\u201d she added. \u201cUnfortunately, it really does look like it will get worse before it gets better.\u201d In 2022, Bangladesh was ranked as having the fifth-worst air quality, and India was eighth. About 20% of premature deaths in Bangladesh are attributed to air pollution, and related healthcare costs amount to 4%-5% of the country\u2019s GDP, said Md Firoz Khan, an air pollution expert at Dhaka\u2019s North South University. Indian pollution also increased last year, with PM2.5 levels about 11 times higher than the WHO standard. India\u2019s New Delhi was the worst-performing capital city, at 92.7 micrograms.China also saw PM2.5 rise 6.3% to 32.5 micrograms last year, after five consecutive annual declines. Only Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius and New Zealand met WHO standards in 2023. The IQAir report was based on data from more than 30,000 monitoring stations in 134 countries and regions. Chad, the world\u2019s most polluted country in 2022, was excluded from the 2023 listings because of data issues. Iran and Sudan were also taken off the 2023 list. Christa Hasenkopf, director of the Air Quality Life Index at the University of Chicago\u2019s Energy Policy Institute, said 39% of countries have no public air quality monitoring. \u201cConsidering the large potential benefits and relatively low cost, it\u2019s stunning that we don\u2019t have an organised global effort to deploy resources to close these data gaps, especially in places where the health burden of air pollution has been largest,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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