Global air quality worsened in 2025POLLUTION: Pakistan and Bangladesh had the highest average PM2.5 concentrations, while French Polynesia and Puerto Rico recorded the lowest, IQAir Group saidBloombergGlobal air quality declined in 2025, with more cities reporting standards below international health guidelines on the impact of severe wildfires and pollution from sectors including fossil fuels and agriculture. Photo: EPAThe “productivity of a whole future generation will be linked” to air quality, IQAir global chief executive officer Frank Hammes said. “We know that air pollution reduces IQ, we know that air pollution reduces the ability of physical labor, and we know that air pollution ultimately will cost the health system as people need medical attention and drop out of the labor force,” he added. While some nations, including China, are imposing stricter air quality standards, policies are being rolled back in the US under the Environmental Protection Agency’s drive to remove rules seen as inflating costs and limiting consumer choice. The Switzerland-based company is a provider of air quality data and supplies purification and monitoring systems.

Source: Taipei Times March 24, 2026 17:59 UTC