Air

The World Health Organization (WHO) says 4.6 million people are killed worldwide by air pollution annually, including 3 million who die from air pollution associated with vehicles and industrial emissions, and 1.6 million from indoor air pollution associated with using solid fuel.

Many people only think of air pollution as being a problem in the air we breathe in the lower atmosphere. Some of the man-made pollution, including carbon dioxide, rises to the upper atmosphere and contributes to the “greenhouse gases” that cause global warming.

• More People + More Cars = More Air Pollution

  • Beijing, China reportedly has the worst air pollution of any city in the world. The number of automobiles has doubled in the past 5 years to nearly 3 million in this mega-city of more than 8 million people.

  • China has 16 of the world’s 20 most air-polluted cities.

  • With 4 million cars and more than 8.5 million people, Mexico City is the most polluted city in the Americas: ozone levels exceed WHO limits 300 days per year.

  • U.S.A.’s most air-polluted city is Los Angeles, which is also the most car-dense metropolis in the world with 1.8 registered automobiles per licensed driver.

  • The Blacksmith Institute reports that, in terms of overall pollution (air + water + soil), Russia and countries in the former U.S.S.R. represent 5 of the 10 most polluted places in the world.

Around the world, air pollution remains a major problem.