Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities and forest fires are causing poor air quality. However, the situation has improved in Europe and China.

Air pollution is not only dangerous for people, it also affects agriculture, water quality, biodiversity and carbon storage. This is what the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reports in its annual report on air quality.

Millions of deaths every year

According to WMO, air pollution causes More than 4.5 million premature deaths annually and high economic and ecological costs. It has numerous components. “The chemicals that lead to a deterioration in air quality are usually emitted together with greenhouse gases,” reports the WMO. Pollutants such as nitrogen compounds, sulphur compounds or ozone can settle on the earth’s surface and pollute nature.

Air pollution affects agriculture

Reports from China and India suggest that fine dust can reduce harvests in particularly polluted areas by 15 percent. Among other things, fine dust deposits mean less sunlight reaches plant leaves.

Agriculture itself also contributes to air pollution because fine dust is created when fields are burned, fertilizers are used, and manure is stored and used.

Bright spot Europe and China

In Europe and China, the air quality was better last year than the long-term averagereported the WMO. In contrast, forest fires in North America have caused particularly bad air quality there.

Among other things, the WMO compared results from fine dust measurements by the European Earth observation program Copernicus and the US space agency NASA with the average for the years 2003 to 2023.

It refers to fine dust with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5). It is dangerous because the fine particles penetrate deep into the respiratory tract, remain there for longer and can cause lasting damage to the lungs.