Just 7 countries met clean air standards in 2024, report says
In 2024, only seven countries worldwide met the standards for clean air set by the World Health Organisation.
According to AfricaNews, a report published on March 11th by IQAir World Quality Report examined data from 138 countries.
Australia, New Zealand, Grenada, Barbados, the Bahamas, Estonia, and Iceland were the seven countries to meet clean air standards.
It was also found that Chad, Pakistan, DR Congo, Bangladesh, and India had the dirtiest air, as well as this IQAir Global CEO, Frank Hammes, thought the real pollution levels in these countries are likely to be much higher.
“We still have a lot of hidden air pollution around the world and I think the more monitoring will go on, the more we’ll see, especially in Africa,” said Hammes.
IQAir found the whole continent of Africa has just one air quality monitoring station for every 3.7 million people.
Hammes suggested air pollution on the continent was a “ combination of sand blown right through some of the region, especially sub-Saharan Africa, and a lot of dirty fuel being burned.”
Despite this, North Africa is the primary exporter of green energy alternatives to European countries. The costs associated with green energy then forces North Africa to import dirty fuel instead, having a disastrous impact on air quality. This practice has been dubbed by critics as “green colonialism”.
Because pollution levels are far above the recommended limits in most regions, a vast majority of the world’s population is forced to breathe in unclean air.
Breathing in polluted air over a long period can lead to respiratory illness, Alzheimer’s disease and cancer.
According to World Health Organisation estimates, air pollution kills around seven million people every year.
AfricaNews, Maghrebi, Transnational Institute
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