So why aren ’ t we there yet ? Sustainability takes a deep-dive into the gap between setting targets for air quality and actually achieving them
ZERO-WASTE
So why aren ’ t we there yet ? Sustainability takes a deep-dive into the gap between setting targets for air quality and actually achieving them
WRITTEN BY : BECCI KNOWLES
The long-term health effects from air pollution are well known : heart disease , lung cancer , and respiratory diseases such as emphysema . Air pollution can also cause long-term damage to people ' s nerves , brain , kidneys , liver , and other organs . Some scientists suspect it causes birth defects , too .
Fossil fuels – when will we learn ? A fossil fuel is a hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the earth ' s crust . Placed under immense pressure for hundreds of thousands of years , the remains of dead plants , animals and other biological matter form matter that is extracted and burned as fuel . Coal , oil , and natural gas are examples of fossil fuels – and we use far too much .
While some types of air pollution – such as smoke from wildfires or ash from volcanoes – occur naturally , most air pollution is created by people , taking the form of emissions from , but not limited to , factories , cars , fridges and aerosol cans .
Just under 12 months ago , research from Harvard University , in collaboration with the University of Birmingham , the University of Leicester and University College London , revealed that more than 8 million people died in 2018 from fossil fuel pollution , significantly higher than previous research suggested – meaning that air pollution from burning fossil fuels like coal and diesel was responsible for about 1 in 5 deaths worldwide .
The study , ‘ Global Mortality From Outdoor Fine Particle Pollution Generated by Fossil Fuel Combustion ’, published in Environmental Research , was said to be based on “ groundbreaking analysis ” that enabled the researchers to directly attribute premature deaths from fine particulate pollution ( PM 2.5 ) to fossil fuel combustion .
“ The health gains we can achieve from getting off fossil fuels is twice what we thought it was yesterday ,” said Dr . Aaron Bernstein , Director of the Center for Climate , Health , and the Global Environment at Harvard Chan School . “ The Global Burden of Disease study estimated deaths from fossil fuels numbered 4.2 million in 2015 , but , thanks to more rigorous science , we can now see that fossil fuels cause far more harm than previously understood . Now more than ever , we can see the healthier , more just and sustainable world that climate actions can deliver .”
Following publication of the 2022 WHO Air Quality Database , The World Health Organisation was also prompted to highlight the importance of curbing fossil fuel use and taking “ other tangible steps '' to reduce air pollution levels . The report showed that
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