The main sources of outdoor air pollution are those of high CO2 emissions. For example, the use of fossil fuels for power generation, industry and polluting transport are all major sources of both particulate matter and CO2.
Transport accounts for around one-fifth of global carbon emissions, and that 74.5% of these emissions come from road transportation. A separate report indicated that eight billion tonnes of CO2 came from transport emissions alone in the same year.
The Dangers Of Air Pollution
Outdoor particulate matter air pollution is responsible for between 28,000 and 36,000 deaths in the UK every year. According to the NHS, it contributes to one in ten cases of lung cancer and can exacerbate various health issues, such as declining lung function, worsening asthma, and increasing rates of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, leading to more hospital admissions.
On a global level, one study recently estimated that 4.14 million deaths were attributed to outdoor air pollution in 2019 alone, which was the sixth highest cause attributed, and was higher than alcohol use, which was ranked seventh with 2.44 million attributed deaths.
In a separate study conducted in 2019 by the World Health Organization (WHO), it was highlighted that 99% of the world’s population was living in places where the WHO air quality guideline levels for air quality were not met.
What Is Particulate Matter?
According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), particulate matter (PM), comprises solid or liquid particles suspended in the air, including dust, dirt, smoke, and liquid droplets. These particles originate from two distinct sources. ‘Primary’ sources independently generate particle pollution, exemplified by wood stoves and forest fires. In contrast, ‘Secondary’ sources release gases that can transform into particles, such as those from power plants, coal fires and vehicles.
Larger particles, known as PM10, can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat and are visible in the air. On the other hand, smaller particles, labelled PM2.5, pose a greater risk as they can be invisible to the naked eye and penetrate the lungs and even enter the bloodstream.
What If You Could See PM2.5?
Here are some examples of how much air pollution people are exposed to each year. In the examples above, we show what one year of PM2.5 would look like over the cities of Paris, Tokyo, New York, London and Los Angeles, alongside Delhi, which is the world’s worst when it comes to outdoor particulate matter air pollution.
Tokyo, London and New York all have an average PM2.5 concentration (μg/m³) of 9.6 μg/m³ per month, which is double the WHO annual air quality guideline value. Times that by 12, to show the annual amount, and that’s an average of 114.8 μg/m³. Los Angeles is slightly higher at 10.5 μg/m³ per month - 126 μg/m³ per year, and Paris is up slightly again at 12.7 μg/m³ per month - 152.4 μg/m³ per year.
Lahore Ranked As The Worst Major City For Air Pollution
|
Worst 10 Cities By Annual Average PM2.5 Concentration (μg/m³) |
||
|
Rank |
City |
2022 |
|
1 |
Lahore, Pakistan |
97.4 |
|
2 |
Hotan, China |
94.3 |
|
3 |
Bhiwadi, India |
92.7 |
|
4 |
Delhi (NCT), India |
92.6 |
|
5 |
Peshawar, Pakistan |
91.8 |
|
6 |
Darbhanga, India |
90.3 |
|
7 |
Asopur, India |
90.2 |
|
8 |
N'Djamena, Chad |
89.7 |
|
9 |
New Delhi, India |
89.1 |
|
10 |
Patna, India |
88.9 |
In comparison, to the cities mentioned above, Lahore in Pakistan recorded an average PM2.5 concentration of 97.4 μg/m³ per month in 2022. This was 5.7 times the WHO annual air quality guideline value. If you look at that across a full calendar year, you’d be looking at a concentration of 1,168.8 μg/m³, which is 233.8 times the WHO annual air quality guideline value.
Between October to February, Lahore experiences a deterioration in air quality due to farmers in the broader Punjab province setting fire to crop remnants. This generates smoke that contributes to the formation of smog, and coupled with shifts in weather conditions, leads to the prolonged trapping of pollutants in the air.
Another reason for the poor air quality could also come from Pakistan’s general poor uptake when it comes to the adoption of EVs. According to a report, due mainly to the poor electric infrastructure, the current EV adoption rate is 2.2% for two and three-wheelers and 0% for four-wheel vehicles. Another report states that just 8,000 EVs were sold in Pakistan in 2022, compared to over a million in neighbouring country, India.
Closely following Lahore in the worst cities leaderboard is Hotan in China (94.3 μg/m³) in second place and Bhiwadi in India (92.7 μg/m³) in third. India has such poor air quality in general that they have six cities in the top ten worst polluted cities, including its capital, Delhi, which recorded an average concentration of 92.6 μg/m³ in 2022.
Cockburn, Australia Ranked As The Best City For Air Quality
At the other end of the scale, we can see that Cockburn, a city located just south of Perth with a population of around 114,000, had the lowest PM2.5 rating for a major city, with a score of just 2 μg/m³ per month in 2022. A total of 24 μg/m³ for a full year’s concentration.
It’s believed the reason behind Cockburn’s clean air is the amount of moisture in the air thanks to a great deal of rainfall recorded last year, plus the bonus of not having any large-scale bushfires.
Overall, Australia is showing very strong and positive adoption of EVs. EVs represented 3.81% of all cars sold in 2022 compared to 2.05% in 2021. Latest statistics show more EVs were sold by the end of June 2023 (46,624) than in the whole of 2022, with forecasts showing an end-of-year rise of 8.4% of all cars being electric. An overall increase of 120% compared to all of 2022.
Other major cities with very low scores on the Air Quality Index (AQI) include Wellington in New Zealand and Kupang in Indonesia. Wellington demonstrated a strong commitment to environmental cleanliness by transitioning its bus network from diesel to electric. Recent data revealed a 28% reduction in diesel air particulate pollution and an 18% decline in nitrogen dioxide levels between 2021 and 2022. This dropped the PM2.5 annual average concentration from 4.2 µg/m3 to just 2.3 µg/m3 per month.
Chad Named Worst Country For Air Pollution
|
Worst 10 Countries By Annual Average PM2.5 Concentration (μg/m³) |
||
|
Rank |
Country/Region |
2022 |
|
1 |
Chad |
89.7 |
|
2 |
Iraq |
80.1 |
|
3 |
Pakistan |
70.9 |
|
4 |
Bahrain |
66.6 |
|
5 |
Bangladesh |
65.8 |
|
6 |
Burkina Faso |
63 |
|
7 |
Kuwait |
55.8 |
|
8 |
India |
53.3 |
|
9 |
Egypt |
46.5 |
|
10 |
Tajikistan |
46 |
The 2022 World Air Quality Report finds that Chad is the worst country on the planet for air pollution. Chad recorded a score of 89.7 μg/m³ monthly average last year, up from 75.9 μg/m³ in 2021. According to the State Of Global Air report, the entire Chadian population lives in areas with PM2.5 concentrations above the WHO Air Quality Guideline for healthy air, and that exposure to outdoor PM accounted for a loss of life expectancy of nearly one year and six months in 2017.
The reasons for Chad’s poor air quality seem to be an amalgamation of many factors. According to The Interactive Country Fiches, which provides analysis of environmental situations of countries around the world, Chad has a common practice of unregulated waste burning, and that key transport-related air quality challenges such as vehicle growth, old fleet, dirty fuel and poor public transport, contribute to a major source of PM, as well as NO2 and CO2.
Closely following Chad is Iraq, scoring 80.1 μg/m³ on average in 2022, jumping a massive 61% from the year prior (49.7 μg/m³). Pakistan came third with a rating of 70.9 μg/m³, up from 66.8 μg/m³.
The Country With The Best Air Quality Is French Polynesia
The country with the cleanest air in the world is French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. It comprises more than 100 islands in the South Pacific, stretching over 2,000km, and perhaps not surprisingly, is a hot spot for holidaygoers looking for coral-fringed lagoons, white sand beaches and over-the-water bungalow hotels.
French Polynesia has a 2.5 μg/m³ per month rating, which is only half the amount of air pollution that WHO guidelines state as their maximum. But, it’s actually not the cleanest place in the world altogether.
Guam’s Air Rated As The Cleanest Regions In The World
|
Best 10 Countries By Annual Average PM2.5 Concentration (μg/m³) |
||
|
Rank |
Country/Region |
2022 |
|
1 |
Guam |
1.3 |
|
2 |
French Polynesia |
2.5 |
|
3 |
U.S. Virgin Islands |
2.9 |
|
4 |
Bermuda |
3.0 |
|
5 |
Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba |
3.3 |
|
6 |
Iceland |
3.4 |
|
7 |
New Caledonia |
3.5 |
|
8 |
Grenada |
3.8 |
|
9 |
Australia |
4.2 |
|
10 |
Puerto Rico |
4.3 |
The Micronesia U.S. island territory, Guam, is the official leader for clean air in the world. It boasts a minuscule 1.3 μg/m³ for air pollution, which is twice as clean as that found in French Polynesia.
Next on the list of territories is the U.S. Virgin Islands with an air pollution rating of 2.9 μg/m³, with the British territory, Bermuda, coming third with a rating of 3 μg/m³.
Iran Sees The Biggest Increase In Air Pollution Worldwide
|
Top 10 Biggest Increases In Air Pollution |
||||
|
Rank |
Country/Region |
2018 |
2022 |
% Change (18-22) |
|
1 |
Iran |
25 |
32.5 |
30.0 |
|
2 |
Italy |
14.9 |
18.9 |
26.8 |
|
3 |
Ethiopia |
27.1 |
31.3 |
15.5 |
|
4 |
Colombia |
13.9 |
15.7 |
12.9 |
|
5 |
Bahrain |
59.8 |
66.6 |
11.4 |
|
6 |
Malta |
11 |
11.7 |
6.4 |
|
7 |
Croatia |
22.2 |
23.5 |
5.9 |
|
8 |
Spain |
10.3 |
10.9 |
5.8 |
|
9 |
Serbia |
23.9 |
24.7 |
3.3 |
|
10 |
Philippines |
14.6 |
14.9 |
2.1 |
If we look at the individual air quality ratings of all countries from 2018, we can see that Iran’s PM2.5 concentration is up by 30% in the last five years, the worst for any country.
Iran’s polluted air largely comes from the geographical features of the country, such as its many mountainous regions and plateaus, which encounter a wide variety of weather conditions. This coupled with its urban geography, such as high-rise buildings, can cause pollution build-ups as lack of winds mean the polluted air cannot disperse.
Puerto Rico Heading In The Right Direction With 68.6% Decrease In Air Pollution Over The Last Five Years
|
Top 10 Biggest Decreases In Air Pollution |
||||
|
Rank |
Country/Region |
2018 |
2022 |
% Change (18-22) |
|
1 |
Puerto Rico |
13.7 |
4.3 |
-68.6 |
|
2 |
Cambodia |
20.1 |
8.3 |
-58.7 |
|
3 |
Kosovo |
30.4 |
14.7 |
-51.6 |
|
4 |
Mongolia |
58.5 |
29.5 |
-49.6 |
|
5 |
Australia |
6.8 |
4.2 |
-38.2 |
|
6 |
New Zealand |
7.7 |
4.8 |
-37.7 |
|
7 |
Sri Lanka |
32 |
20.7 |
-35.3 |
|
8 |
Luxembourg |
11.2 |
7.4 |
-33.9 |
|
9 |
Czech Republic |
20.2 |
13.4 |
-33.7 |
|
10 |
Bangladesh |
97.1 |
65.8 |
-32.2 |
Going in the correct and opposite direction is Puerto Rico. In 2018 the U.S. territory’s PM2.5 level was at 13.7 μg/m³, which exceeds the WHO guidelines by more than double. However, fast forward five years to the end of 2022 and that figure has dropped sharply to a very respectable and clean 4.3 μg/m³.
Puerto Rico’s air quality has been subject to the territory’s electricity being generated from old oil-burning power plants and a decrepit delivery system. The poor design, with heavy reliance on fossil fuels, has played a key role in air pollution in the past, however, the local government is, and has been, pledging stricter regulations of toxic air emissions nationwide. Regulations that appear to be making a difference.
Benefits Of Electric Driving
Air pollution is without question a major risk to our health, but it’s also something we can all help to control and decrease. One way you can help to decrease your own carbon footprint is to drive electric.
The carbon dioxide emissions of new cars sold in the UK dropped to the lowest level ever in 2021 thanks to the unprecedented surge in electric vehicle sales (that was helped by previous government incentives), which indicates how much of an impact electric driving can make on our environment.
Also, business fleets using electric vehicles have cut carbon emissions by more than 15 tonnes of CO2 per vehicle, per year, according to recent data.
So, no matter whether you switch to an electric car for yourself or for your business, you’ll have the peace of mind that you’re doing your bit for the environment.
And that’s just the beginning when it comes to the benefits of electric driving. If you want more information about the benefits of electric car leasing, you can find an in depth guide on our blog.
Leasing With Leasing Options
Electric cars not only contribute to a cleaner environment but also offer drivers significant cost savings through reduced fuel expenses as well as minimal maintenance requirements. Not only that, but thanks to Leasing Options’ Price Match Promise you’ll be getting the very best price for your electric car lease, whether you’re looking for a personal car lease or a business lease.
Methodology
Leasing Options gathered all air quality and pollution data from IQAir. Our own calculations were made with this data to find out the various countries’ air pollution increases/decreases from 2018 up until 2022, which is the latest full-year dataset available.
Additional information and data were collected from various sources, such as OurWorldInData and the World Health Organization. Other specific sources are highlighted and hyperlinked throughout the article.
