Air pollution

New data from the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) highlights the severe impact of air pollution on life expectancy worldwide, despite a slight dip in global pollution levels in 2022. If fine particulate pollution (PM2.5) met World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, the average person could gain nearly two extra years of life, equating to 14.9 billion life-years saved worldwide. The Global Toll of Air Pollution Air pollution, particularly from PM2.5 particles, remains the world’s greatest external risk to human health, surpassing smoking, alcohol use, traffic injuries, and HIV/AIDS. The University of Chicago’s AQLI data shows that people in highly polluted…