Clearing the Air : A Tale of Three Cities
Air pollution presents an increasingly apparent challenge to health and development across the globe. Exposure to PM2.5 is a major health risk and worldwide, an estimated 4.13-5.39 million people died prematurely in 2017 from exposure to PM2.5 poll...
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| Format: | Report |
| Language: | English |
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World Bank, Washington, DC
2020
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/521491604042907160/Clearing-the-Air-A-Tale-of-Three-Cities http://hdl.handle.net/10986/34757 |
| Summary: | Air pollution presents an increasingly
apparent challenge to health and development across the
globe. Exposure to PM2.5 is a major health risk and
worldwide, an estimated 4.13-5.39 million people died
prematurely in 2017 from exposure to PM2.5 pollution. The
health impacts of pollution also represent a heavy cost to
the economy. Lost labor income due to fatal illness from
PM2.5 pollution globally in 2017 was in the range of US$
131-317 billion, equal in magnitude to about 0.1-0.3 percent
of GDP. Countries appear to follow growth paths with
different levels of pollution intensity, suggesting that
policy decisions, investments, and technologies all have an
important role to play in affecting the pollution intensity
of growth, and that countries cannot simply grow their way
out of pollution. The experiences of three cities – Mexico
City, Beijing, and Delhi – offers some lessons on how
countries can tackle the growing challenge of air pollution.
Notably, there is no silver bullet, and air pollution will
only be tackled through sustained political commitment.
Information, incentives, and institutions are the three
prongs of an effective air pollution management strategy for
any country. |
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