In 2023, just seven countries worldwide met the World Health Organization’s safe air pollution standards — and three of them were in Europe.
A new report from Swiss air quality tech company IQAir highlights the few regions where PM2.5 levels (fine particulate matter) remain within the WHO’s recommended limits.
The findings, based on data from over 30,000 monitoring stations across 134 countries, territories, and regions, revealed that a staggering 124 of them exceeded safe air quality levels.
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The seven countries that met the safe guideline of five micrograms per cubic metre of air (µg/m3) or less were Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius and New Zealand.
Puerto Rico, Bermuda and French Polynesia also fell within safe levels.
Commenting on the data, Frank Hammes, global CEO of IQAir, said “clean, healthy and sustainable environment is a universal human right”.
“In many parts of the world the lack of air quality data delays decisive action and perpetuates unnecessary human suffering.
“Air quality data saves lives. Where air quality is reported, action is taken, and air quality improves.”
Aidan Farrow, a senior air quality scientist at Greenpeace International, also expressed his dismay at the data, saying:
“In 2023 air pollution remained a global health catastrophe.
“IQAir’s global data set provides an important reminder of the resulting injustices and the need to implement the many solutions that exist to this problem.”