Air pollution

Air pollution is the presence of substances in the air that are harmful to humans, other living beings or the environment. Pollutants can be gases like ozone or nitrogen oxides or small particles like soot and dust. It affects both outdoor air and indoor air.

Natural sources of air pollution include wildfires, dust storms, and volcanic eruptions. Indoor air pollution is often caused by the use of biomass (e.g. wood) for cooking and heating. Outdoor air pollution comes from some industrial processes, the burning of fossil fuels for electricity and transport, waste management and agriculture. Many of the contributors of local air pollution, especially the burning of fossil fuels, also cause greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming. However air pollution may limit warming locally.

Air pollution causes around 7 or 8 million deaths each year. It is a significant risk factor for a number of diseases, including stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and lung cancer. Particulate matter is the most deadly, both for indoor and outdoor air pollution. Ozone affects crops, and forests are impacted by the pollution that causes acid rain. Overall, the World Bank has estimated that welfare losses (premature deaths) and productivity losses (lost labour) caused by air pollution cost the world economy over $8 trillion per year.

Various technologies and strategies reduce air pollution. Key approaches include clean cookers, improved waste management, industrial scrubbers, electric vehicles and renewable energy. National air quality laws have often been effective, notably the 1956 Clean Air Act in Britain and the 1963 US Clean Air Act. International efforts have had mixed results: the Montreal Protocol almost eliminated harmful ozone-depleting chemicals, while international action on climate change has been less successful.