Nigeria is 8th most polluted country in the world with 71.80 microgramme (μg) and Nepal most polluted country with 99.73 μg, according to a report published yesterday by Oxford University’s Our World in Data platform and Daily Mail UK. According to the United Nations (UN), this is due to poorer countries tending to have weaker laws around air pollution, lower vehicle emission standards and higher numbers of coal power stations. Except for Qatar, each of the top five countries’ PM2.5 levels had increased since 1990 — indicating that efforts to improve pollution levels has been unsuccessful in some nations. The Our World in Data figures also revealed national death rates due to outdoor air pollution in 2019. Air pollution is one of the largest threats to health across the world and although access to clean air is a fundamental human right, air pollution accounts for about seven million deaths around the world yearly.

Source: The Guardian June 06, 2023 04:19 UTC