Announcing the 100 cities with the most severe air pollution in the world, there is no city in Vietnam
Báo Tuổi Trẻ•19/03/2024
Worldwide, only 10 countries and 9% of cities meet the air quality standards for PM2.5 ultra-fine dust set by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Vehicles move through smog and dust pollution in Delhi, India - Photo: AFP
CNN on March 19 quoted a report by global air quality monitoring agency IQAir saying that 99 out of the 100 most polluted cities in the world are in Asia. Of these, 83 cities in India have PM2.5 concentrations 10 times higher than WHO standards. Only 9% of the 7,812 cities analyzed by IQAir meet WHO standards. PM2.5 concentrations in these cities do not exceed 5 micrograms (µg) per 1m3 per year. Begusarai, a city of half a million people in the northern Indian state of Bihar, is the most polluted place in the world in 2023 with an average PM2.5 concentration of 118.9 µg/ m3 - 23 times higher than WHO standards. Following Begusarai are the cities of Guwahati, Delhi and Mullanpur. All are in India. According to IQAir, 1.3 billion Indians, or 96% of the population, are living in air pollution conditions that are seven times more polluted than WHO standards. The four most polluted countries in 2023 are Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, and Tajikistan. These countries are in the Central and South Asian regions. IQAir found that 92.5% of 7,812 locations in 134 countries, regions, and territories had PM2.5 concentrations that exceeded WHO standards.
Only 10 countries, regions and territories have clean air, including Finland, Estonia, Puerto Rico, Australia, New Zealand, Bermuda, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius and French Polynesia. Millions of people around the world die every year from health problems related to air pollution. According to a study published in the journal BMJ in November 2023, air pollution from fossil fuel use kills 5.1 million people each year. Meanwhile, the WHO said 6.7 million people worldwide die each year due to the combined effects of ambient and indoor air pollution. The climate crisis also causes a series of environmental problems, such as wildfires or floods. Indonesia is the most polluted country in Asia, with PM2.5 concentrations in 2023 increasing by 20% compared to 2022. Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand all have cities that exceed WHO standards by 10 times. Of these, Vietnam ranks 22nd out of 134 countries, regions and territories. Hanoi ranks 233rd, Ho Chi Minh City is 1,048th and Da Nang is 1,182nd. Tra Vinh City is ranked by IQAir as the cleanest place (ranked 6,806th) and Tay Ho District is the most polluted place (ranked 71st) in Vietnam in 2023.
Reduced life expectancy due to air pollution
PM2.5 can penetrate into human lung tissue and blood, leading to asthma, heart disease, lung disease, cancer, some respiratory diseases and cognitive decline in children. People living in the most polluted countries often suffer from many dangerous diseases and have their life expectancy reduced by 3 to 6 years, said Mr. Frank Hammes, CEO of IQAir.
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