2022 UPDATE : WHO AIR QUALITY DATABASE
ZERO-WASTE
“ WE HOPE THAT , BY QUANTIFYING THE HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OF FOSSIL FUEL COMBUSTION , WE CAN SEND A CLEAR MESSAGE TO POLICYMAKERS AND STAKEHOLDERS ”
JOEL SCHWARTZ PROFESSOR AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY
2022 UPDATE : WHO AIR QUALITY DATABASE
The WHO air quality database compiles data on ground measurements of annual mean concentrations of particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide . The database has been updated regularly every 2-3 years since 2011 . The data compiled in this database is used as input to derive the Sustainable Development Goal Indicator 11.6.2 , Air quality in cities , for which WHO is the custodial agency .
The fifth WHO air quality database – the largest of its kind – covers over 6000 cities / human settlements ( mostly cities ) in 117 countries , indicating where air pollution levels and the related health risks are higher . purpose . “ Local councils are not going to take expensive and time-consuming steps to hit a target they believe is impossible . Many will simply begin accepting air pollution fines as a form of taxation – a mindset which will have dire consequences for the health and wellbeing of the local population ,” she says .
Set up to fail with ‘ pie in sky ’ clean air targets ? Barnard says that for DEFRA to achieve genuine air quality improvement , it must avoid ‘ pie-in-the-sky ’ targets and focus instead on delivering incremental change . For her , the Montreal Protocol ’ s success lay in its impressive institutional support which provided funding and advice to signatories . “ Government must now follow suit .”
Thirty years on from Montreal , we have access to much more advanced technology that better sets us up for long-term change , taking into account the dynamic nature of greenhouse gases to continually adapt mitigation techniques .
76 September 2022