Pollution is recognized as one of humanity’s deadliest problems of the modern era. Not only causing substantial destruction to our environment but also killing a staggering amount of people all over the globe. Although the effects have been difficult to calculate until just now. Researchers have established data from several atmospheric models that 1.05 million deaths were attributable to fossil fuel combustion in 2017, with more than 50% of the deaths caused by coal.
Air pollution-related deaths that occurred in China and India were considered huge in numbers. Just abolishing coal and oil and natural gas combustion in these two countries could decrease global deaths from fossil fuel emanations by 20 percent.
“Roughly 1 million deaths could be avoided by the global elimination of fossil-fuel combustion, with 20% of this burden associated with fossil-fuel use in China and India alone.” Presented in the journal by Nature Communications.
The harmful microscopic particles called PM 2.5 present in the air enter the lungs creating debilitating effects causing cardiovascular, respiratory, and heart illnesses.
Overall, the team found that the burning of fossil fuels accounted for 27.3 percent of all PM2.5-related deaths in 2017, while the consumption of solid biofuels, such as wood and charcoal contributed another 20 percent. PM2.5 is one of the world’s leading environmental risk factors, and its sources must be known to us.
“The use of solid biofuel was a primary source of emissions from the residential sector and was the dominant contributing combustible fuel in 78 countries, especially throughout the tropics,” inscribed the researchers. Commonly utilized for domestic purposes, biofuel combustion accounts for up to 40 percent of the PM2.5 disease in countries such as Guatemala, Nepal, and Rwanda.
Worldwide, domestic emissions led to 740,000 deaths in 2017, while air pollution generated by the industrial and energy sectors accounts for 450,000 and 390,000 deaths, respectively. While agriculture and transport are responsible for approximately eight percent of worldwide PM2.5 deaths.
By combining enhanced global emissions data with the Global Burden of Disease, researchers achieved an unmatched detail on the health impact of PM2.5 in diverse parts of the world.
“PM2.5 is the world’s leading environmental risk factor for mortality. Our key objective is to understand its sources,” explained study author Randall Martin in a statement. Therefore, scientists and policymakers should develop mitigation strategies to decrease air pollution across the globe, leading to a lesser mortality rate.