Air pollution: what’s in store for the future?

Are we close to a point of no return?

Although we do not have a crystal ball, we can still say that the future of our planet will not be the rosiest.

Greenhouse gas concentrations in the air are changing our climate, and we may be approaching a point of no return.

Rising sea levels, tons of microplastics in the oceans, global warming, and abnormal weather are situations that characterize the current landscape.

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases have reached new highs.

A record not to be proud of.

The WMO report states “The reason for this exceptional increase is unclear, but it appears to be the result of both biological and human-induced processes.” As for the increase in carbon dioxide levels, “From 2020 to 2021 was higher than the average annual growth rate over the past decade. Measurements from stations in WMO’s Global Atmosphere Watch network show that these levels are continuing to rise around the world.

“The science is clear. Without rapid cuts in CO2 and other greenhouse gases, climate change will have an increasingly destructive and irreversible effect on life on Earth,” explains WMO Secretary General Petteri Taalas.

Current CO2 concentrations are the same as they were 3/5 million years ago

Experts in the field of science explain that the last time the Earth was in similar CO2 concentrations was between 3 and 5 million years ago, when the temperature was on average 2-3 degrees warmer and the sea level was 10-20 meters higher than today.

However, all these dramatic conditions confirmed by scientists do not seem to actually change the general patterns, and what lies ahead in the years to come should worry us in no small measure.

By 2050, air pollution will be the leading contributor to deaths worldwide

Already today, major air pollutants such as particulate matter, sulfur oxides and ozone, asbestos, and radon gas are lethal to human and planetary health.

But by 2050, air pollution will be the deadliest and most dangerous killer globally. As reported by the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), deaths caused by pollution are always on the rise and will surpass those caused by water pollution and lack of sanitation.

In eastern countries, especially in Asia, pms10 concentrations in some cities reach as high as 70 micrograms per cubic meter, compared with 20 considered the maximum limit.

But even Western countries cannot breathe a sigh of relief; levels of ozone, which causes many fatalities, are always on the rise.

In addition, levels of sulfur and nitrogen oxides look like they may rise by 90 percent, greenhouse emissions may rise by 50 percent, and water consumption rise by 40 percent.

A concentration of negatives that needs a common strategy for action as soon as possible.

A British study confirms that air pollution kills more than road accidents.

And it is precisely to raise awareness of the importance of fighting pollution that the ‘Breathing Himalayas – let’s learn to breathe’ project was born in Britain.

The health and economic harms

Air pollution affects all people in any area of the globe.

Poor air quality can cause cardiovascular and respiratory diseases or aggravate chronic conditions already present, worsening the quality of public life.

According to the Ministry of Health, 30,000 deaths in Italy each year are attributable to fine particulate matter (PM2.5).

Heart and lungs are the first targets of fine particulate matter, which is so fine that it penetrates the bloodstream. But breathing polluted air, according to various studies in the field of scientific medicine, can also cause damage to the neurological system.

The World Health Organization (WHO), estimates that deaths caused by air pollution (both indoor and outdoor) are about 7 million worldwide, and the resulting health expenditure would be between 47 and 142 billion euros.

Air pollution is the greatest environmental health risk to all humanity.