{"id":40388,"date":"2025-03-13T15:34:57","date_gmt":"2025-03-13T14:34:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greencitysolutions.de\/?p=40388"},"modified":"2025-03-14T00:15:30","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T23:15:30","slug":"report-on-global-air-quality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greencitysolutions.de\/en\/report-on-global-air-quality\/","title":{"rendered":"Report on Global Air Quality"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Only seven countries meet WHO air quality standards”<\/strong><\/a><\/p><\/h3><\/div>

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“According to WHO estimates, seven million people die every year as a result of polluted air. Air quality is particularly poor in Chad, according to a study. Germany also fails to meet WHO air quality standards.”<\/a><\/p>\n

Globally, between 1980 and 2020, particulate matter pollution alone was responsible for approximately 135 million premature deaths<\/strong><\/a>, according to a study.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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\"Yuanzhe<\/span><\/div>

Photo: Yuanzhe Ma from Unsplash<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Clean Air for Our Cities: Why We Must Act Now<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Air quality in cities is alarming. According to the World Air Quality Report<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, 99 percent of the global population breathes air that exceeds the World Health Organization (WHO)<\/strong> <\/em><\/a>recommended limits for particulate matter and other pollutants. “This is according to the 2024 World Air Quality Report published by the Swiss air analysis company IQAir<\/strong><\/em>. Only 17 percent of citie<\/strong>s met the WHO air quality guidelines.”\u00a0<\/a>Urban areas are particularly affected, with traffic, industry, and heating systems being the main contributors. Studies show that particulate matter not only causes respiratory and cardiovascular diseases but also significantly reduces life expectancy. The urgency to act has never been greater.<\/p>\n


\nThe Challenge: Particulate Matter as an Invisible Threat<\/strong><\/h5>\n

“Places with low particulate matter pollution are rare”<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>

Particulate matter is one of the most dangerous forms of air pollution. It penetrates deep into the lungs and can even enter the bloodstream. “In the body, it can increase the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases such as asthma and lung cancer.”<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

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Dangers of Extreme Temperatures and Air Pollution<\/span><\/a><\/div>
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According to the WHO, only seven countries worldwide meet the recommended air quality standards<\/strong><\/a>, as reported by the Handelsblatt<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. The SPIEGEL<\/em><\/strong><\/a> also highlighted, “Only one continent meets WHO air quality standards.” “17 percent of the analyzed cities met the annual WHO guideline last year \u2013 in 2023, it was only nine percent. ‘However, much remains to be done to protect people’s health, especially that of children.'”<\/a><\/p>\n

In Germany<\/strong>, the situation is also concerning<\/a>, as the taz<\/em><\/strong><\/a> reports. The data is “no reason to breathe easy”<\/a>. “Even though there is a positive trend in pollutant levels, the data still shows that there is a widespread problem in Germany”<\/a>, the taz <\/em><\/strong><\/a>quotes Anna-Lena Franke from the German Environmental Aid (Deutsche Umwelthilfe)<\/a>. “No German city has clean air.”<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

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\"Meiying<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Daniel<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Anastasiia<\/a><\/div><\/div>
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Photos: Meiying Ng, Daniel Domes & Anastasiia Krutota from Unsplash<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

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The health and economic consequences are enormous: millions of people suffer from the effects of poor air quality, and healthcare costs continue to rise.<\/p>\n

Remarkably<\/strong>, “At the end of February, the German Environment Agency<\/a> (Umweltbundesamt<\/em><\/strong><\/a>) announced that all European air quality standards had been met for 2024. However, critics already pointed out that these standards are outdated \u2013 more than 20 years old, to be precise.”<\/a><\/p>\n

The WHO recommends much stricter \u2013 and lower \u2013 limits than the German Environment Agency<\/strong> “to protect people’s health”<\/a>.<\/p>\n

However, “from 2030 onwards, the EU will define stricter limits, nearly halving the current thresholds”.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

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\"Rene<\/span><\/div>

Photo: Rene Bernal from Unsplash<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Innovations for Clean Air<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Doch es existieren vielversprechende Ans\u00e4tze und innovative L\u00f6sungen. Innovation und Natur k\u00f6nnen Hand in Hand gehen, um unsere St\u00e4dte lebenswerter und zukunftssicher(er) zu machen. Unsere nat\u00fcrlichen Moosfilter<\/strong><\/em><\/a> nutzen die F\u00e4higkeit von Moos, Feinstaub und andere Schadstoffe aus der Luft zu binden. Gleichzeitig produzieren sie Sauerstoff und k\u00fchlen die Umgebungstemperatur. Die Vorteile dieser Technologie sind vielf\u00e4ltig:<\/p>\n