Top 10 cities with the worst air quality on Earth

ByDaniil Filipenco

Top 10 cities with the worst air quality on Earth

Air pollution kills roughly 9 million people worldwide each year. One of the reasons for such a high mortality rate is that 99% of all the people on Earth live in areas where the air quality is below the WHO’s recommended norms, meaning that billions of people are exposed to excessive quantities of pollutants.

With more people living in big industrialized cities, it is obvious that an increasing number of citizens suffer from being exposed to pollutants in the air each year but did you know that some of the most polluted cities have no more than 100,000 inhabitants?

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In 2022, 10 cities in three Asian countries and one African state had the most polluted air, according to the Air Quality Index. Although India, China, Pakistan, and Chad, which are all developing countries with fast-growing economies and populations, invest tens of millions in cleaner air every year, the struggle to improve air quality continues while people suffer and die.

Let’s delve into the air quality of the top 10 cities where it was hardest to breathe in 2022.

Air Quality Index

To measure the concentration of air pollutants, the Air Quality Index (AQI) was created by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

In a nutshell, higher scores on the AQI scale, which range from 0 to 500, denote higher pollution levels and more serious health risks with 0 describing good air quality and 500 indicating harmful air conditions.

In emerging economies, poor air quality is rather common. The preponderance of older, more polluting equipment and cars, jam-packed urban transport networks, fast-growing industrial sectors, and slash-and-burn agriculture are all increasing pollution levels.

Worldwide standing

The most polluted cities worldwide are found in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia. The data was determined by comparing median AQI statistics from numerous cities across various nations.

Here’s the list of the world’s most polluted cities based on the latest data:

Source: IQAir

Indian and Pakistani cities along with one city in China and one in Chad made the top 10 list for an obvious reason – rapid and uncontrolled industrial development which, in the absence of strict control measures, has made pollution an unavoidable result.

India

Over 30 of the top 50 most polluted cities are located in India. Diesel generators as well as the utilization of fossil fuels by lower-income families, along with vehicle exhaust gases, are the main contributors to air pollution. In addition, various industries burn garbage, and farmers set fields on fire after harvesting crops.

Stubble burning – the deliberate burning of the straw stubble that remains once crops have been harvested. Although harmful, this approach to weed and insect control is less labor-intensive and more cost-effective.

To reduce air pollution by up to 30% over the next couple of years, India is making headway as a result of its National Clean Air Programme.

Pakistan

This country has historically had extremely high pollution levels, with a number of large cities producing massive volumes of smoke, haze, and deadly fog. Its fast development has been accompanied by a significant rise in population, industrialization, and urbanization. Around 60% of the diesel consumed is refined using outdated methods.

Additional air pollution sources include brick kilns (handmade bricks), a phenomenon also seen in Bangladesh, where both large-scale operations and family-run small companies produce millions of bricks each year.

China

While many urban regions in this country exceed the WHO recommendations in terms of pollution levels, China continues to make significant progress. In 2022, China invested $546 billion in projects related to solar and wind energy, EVs, and batteries – more than any other country.

China has also reduced the intensity of CO2 emissions by 34.4% over the last decade. Moreover, the country has the world’s largest clean coal-fired power generation system and has converted coal-fired power plants to low-emissions models.

How air pollutants harm our body

Research into the damage that air pollution causes indicates that numerous harmful particles from the air, even at low concentrations, can deeply affect the lungs and the bloodstream, impacting the heart, brain, and lungs.

Here’s what WHO has to say about it:

See also: Why is air pollution on the increase? | Experts’ Opinions