“Air quality respects no limits“Said Lorenzo Labrador, scientific officer at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).” Smoke and pollution that questions from the fire in this record -breaking season on the Iberian Peninsula have already been detected over Western Europe [and]… Can travel basically through the rest of the European continent. “
Presents the latest WMO air quality and climate shellin Which crunch data from different global data sets, Mr. Labrador announced a continued pattern of pollution “degradation” worldwide.
He pointed to a map of the world in 2024, which showed Telltale fine particle markers known as “PM 2.5” from Wildfires concentrated in deep red spots in Chile, Brazil and Ecuador along with Canada, Central Africa and Siberia.
The data confirms a disturbing trend in air quality loss that has already been mentioned in previous years.
“We know that the Wildfire season tends to be stronger and longer every year, as a result of climate change,” explained Mr. Labrador.
China, Europe gives hope
In more positive news, WMO scientist emphasized a reduction in emissions in some parts of the world, “Especially Eastern China and Europe, Year to Year”.
“When we see that countries or regions or cities take action to fight against poor air quality, it works“Said Paolo Laj, head of the global atmosphere at WMO.
A good example is eastern China in cities like Shanghai, where progress has been made to increase air quality by opening more parks and planting more trees.
And while there is still heavy vehicle traffic, many are now electric, WMO spokesman Clare Nullis noted.
Despite these successes, very few cities around the world have air quality levels below those recommended by the UN World Health Organization (WHO), WMO’s Mr Laj emphasized. “This means that air quality in spite of the recent improvements remains a significant concern for public health. “
He explained that although the most important pollutants such as sulfur dioxide (SOAD) and nitric oxide (noₓ) fall when emission controls kick in, ozone levels at soil level-the most important ingredient in the smog-not fall.
“This is partly a consequence of global warming, as ozone is a secondary pollutant formed through chemical reactions in the atmosphere that requires sunlight,” Mr. Laj.
WMO Air Quality Bulletin, which covers WMO air quality balletin, covers WMO air quality balletin highlights the close connection between air quality and climate change.
“Climate change and air quality cannot be addressed in isolation. They go hand in hand and need to be handled together to protect our planet, our society and our economies,” said WMO-Vice Secretary Ko Barrett.
The UN is a leading effort to tackle air pollution in the household, which is one of the world’s greatest threats to public health and especially harmful to children.
“The good news is that cleaner cooking technology is ample, relatively cheap and already helps save lives,” insisted Martina Otto, head of the Secretariat of Climate and Pure Air Coalition, hosting the UN Environment Program (UNEP).
“The challenge now is to get this technology in the hands of more people. “
