South Asia, home to some of the world’s most polluted countries, is experiencing a growing public health crisis due to air pollution.
According to a recent study by the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute (EPIC), residents of Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan are losing, on average, five years of their lives due to poor air quality.
Over the past eight years, particulate pollution in the region has worsened by nearly 10%, further reducing life expectancy by an additional six months. The impact of air pollution also contributes to chronic health conditions such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
Globally, air pollution is a major health risk, with at least 90% of people living in areas where air quality exceeds the safe levels recommended by the World Health Organization. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which has a particularly harmful effect on health, is a key contributor to reduced life expectancy worldwide.
The economic cost of these health impacts is staggering, with air pollution-related deaths estimated to have cost the global economy $2.9 trillion in 2018 alone, or about 3.3% of global GDP.
While the problem is global, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa are disproportionately affected, with death rates from outdoor air pollution in these regions up to 100 times higher than in Europe and North America. A major contributor to this disparity is the lack of infrastructure, funding and effective air quality standards in many developing countries.
This lack of governance is compounded by the absence of open access to air quality data, which is crucial for driving informed policies and public awareness.
As Christa Hasenkopf, the Director of Clean Air Programs at EPIC, notes that reliable and accessible air quality data is essential for both government action and public advocacy for cleaner air.
This ongoing crisis highlights the urgent need for stronger environmental policies, greater transparency, and global cooperation to combat air pollution and its far-reaching impacts on both human health and the economy.
South Asia Politics 