The United Nations reported on Thursday that fine particle air pollution decreased in Europe and China last year as a result of a decrease in emissions associated with human activity.
PM2.5 nanoparticles, which are smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, are a significant health hazard if inhaled for extended periods of time. This is due to their ability to enter the circulation.
The particles are generated by human activities such as the combustion of fossil fuels, transportation, and industry, as well as wildfires and wind-blown arid dust.
“The 2023 data indicates a negative anomaly, which indicates a decrease in PM2.5 levels over China and Europe in comparison to the reference period of 2003-2023,” stated Lorenzo Labrador, a scientist at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
In an annual bulletin released prior to the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies on September 7, the United Nations agency underscored the interdependence of air quality and climate change.
“Air quality and climate change cannot be addressed in isolation.” In a press release, WMO Secretary General Ko Barrett stated that they are inextricably linked and must be addressed in tandem.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) emphasized that the compounds that contribute to atmospheric pollution are typically released concurrently with greenhouse gases.
“A vicious cycle of climate change, wildfires and air pollution is having a spiralling negative impact on human health, ecosystems and agriculture” , according to the report.
According to the World Health Organization, nine out of ten individuals are exposed to air that is severely polluted.
