Only seven countries in the world met safe air pollution levels in 2023 – with three of them in Europe.
A new report by Swiss air quality technology company IQAir has identified the regions of the world which still breathe air which fall within safe levels of PM2.5 (fine particulate matter) as identified by World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.
Data from more than 30,000 monitoring stations in 134 countries, territories and regions found that an astonishing 124 breached safe breathing levels.
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.”