While air pollution has become a serious concern at global level, environmentalists said proven energy policies and technologies can deliver major cuts in air pollution around the world and bring health benefits. Moreover, seven per cent increase in energy investment could help in decreasing death toll caused by air pollution.
As per the latest report of International Energy Agency (IEA), Paris energy is the main contributor to air pollution but a few changes in energy policies at worldwide can help to bring better results.
The report further states that premature deaths from outdoor air pollution are projected to rise from 3 million to 4.5 million by 2040, concentrated mainly in developing Asia
In a latest report on in -depth analysis of air-quality IEA's World Energy Outlook (WEO), which has released on Monday emphasised the links between energy , air pollution and health .
According to the demonstrators in IEA, growing attention to this issue and an accelerating energy transition post-COP21 puts global emissions of these pollutants on a slowly declining trend to 2040. “Although, the problem is far from solved and global changes mask strong regional differences and emissions continue to fall in industrialised countries. In China, recent signs of decline are consolidated. But emissions generally rise in India, Southeast Asia and Africa, as expected growth in energy demand dwarfs policy efforts related to air quality,” said a demonstrator.
“Clean air is a basic human right that most of the world's population lacks,” said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol.
“No country — rich or poor — can claim that the task of tackling air pollution is complete. But governments are far from powerless to act and need to act now. Proven energy policies and technologies can deliver major cuts in air pollution around the world and bring health benefits, provide broader access to energy and improve sustainability,” said Birol.
According to the report each year approximately 6.5 million deaths are linked to air pollution with the number set to increase significantly in coming decades unless the energy sector takes greater action to curb emissions.
“Air pollution is a problem felt particularly the poorest in society. No country is immune as a staggering 80 percent of cities that monitor pollution levels fail to meet the air quality standards set by the World Health Organisation (WHO),” IEA report stated.
In the study, this has also concluded that with ability to access modern energy, premature deaths from household air pollution will decline from 3.5 million to 3 million over the same period.