Search for: All records

Abstract Ambient fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) is the world’s leading environmental health risk factor. Quantification is needed of regional contributions to changes in global PM_2.5exposure. Here we interpret satellite-derived PM_2.5estimates over 1998-2019 and find a reversal of previous growth in global PM_2.5air pollution, which is quantitatively attributed to contributions from 13 regions. Global population-weighted (PW) PM_2.5exposure, related to both pollution levels and population size, increased from 1998 (28.3 μg/m³) to a peak in 2011 (38.9 μg/m³) and decreased steadily afterwards (34.7 μg/m³in 2019). Post-2011 change was related to exposure reduction in China and slowed exposure growth in other regions (especially South Asia, the Middle East and Africa). The post-2011 exposure reduction contributes to stagnation of growth in global PM_2.5-attributable mortality and increasing health benefits per µg/m³marginal reduction in exposure, implying increasing urgency and benefits of PM_2.5mitigation with aging population and cleaner air. 

Abstract Ambient fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) is the world’s leading environmental health risk factor. Reducing the PM 2.5 disease burden requires specific strategies that target dominant sources across multiple spatial scales. We provide a contemporary and comprehensive evaluation of sector- and fuel-specific contributions to this disease burden across 21 regions, 204 countries, and 200 sub-national areas by integrating 24 global atmospheric chemistry-transport model sensitivity simulations, high-resolution satellite-derived PM 2.5 exposure estimates, and disease-specific concentration response relationships. Globally, 1.05 (95% Confidence Interval: 0.74–1.36) million deaths were avoidable in 2017 by eliminating fossil-fuel combustion (27.3% of the total PM 2.5 burden), with coal contributing to over half. Other dominant global sources included residential (0.74 [0.52–0.95] million deaths; 19.2%), industrial (0.45 [0.32–0.58] million deaths; 11.7%), and energy (0.39 [0.28–0.51] million deaths; 10.2%) sectors. Our results show that regions with large anthropogenic contributions generally had the highest attributable deaths, suggesting substantial health benefits from replacing traditional energy sources.