World Environment Day: Air Pollution Kills Seven Million People Annually – United Nations

Polluted air kills some seven million people each year, causing long term health problems, such as asthma, and reducing children’s cognitive development.
Antonio Guterres in the message also disclosed that the theme for this year’s World Environment Day is air pollution and added that an estimated nine out of ten people worldwide are exposed to air pollutants.
Air pollution kills 7 million people every year, hurts child development, damages economies and contributes to the global climate emergency.
Guterres said many air pollutants also cause global warming. According to him, Black carbon is one such example. Produced by diesel engines, burning trash and dirty cookstoves, it is extremely harmful when inhaled. Reducing emissions of such pollutants will not only improve public health, but it could also alleviate global warming by up to 0.5 degrees Celsius over the next few decades.