The World Health Organization warned Wednesday that air pollution is even more dangerous than previously thought, as it slashed its recommended limits for emissions from vehicles and industrial sources. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged nations to take action against dirty air ahead of the COP26 U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: “There is nothing more essential for life than air. And yet, because of air pollution, the simple act of breathing contributes to 7 million deaths a year. Almost everyone around the world is exposed to unhealthy levels of air pollution.”
The WHO estimates air pollution accounts for one in eight deaths worldwide each year.