Every country exceeds new PM2.5 annual limit set by WHO: Report

Context

A new report found that no country in 2021 met the updated air quality guidelines defined by the World Health Organization (WHO).

About

Key findings of the report:

Concentration of particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) was found to be within WHO standards in only 222 out of 6,475 cities covered in the report by IQAir.
The concentration in 93 per cent of the cities was 10 times the new guideline.
This was the case in 48 per cent of India’s cities.
India was among the top five countries with the highest concentration of PM2.5, with Delhi as the most polluted capital in the world.
The city recorded an increase of over 14 per cent in the concentration of PM2.5 in 2021 compared to 2020.
Dhaka (Bangladesh), N’Djamena (Chad), Dushanbe (Tajikistan) and Muscat (Oman) followed Delhi in the grim list of polluted capital cities.
Of the 15 most polluted cities in Central and South Asia in 2021, 12 were in India.
Only the territories of New Caledonia, United States Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico met updated WHO PM2.5 air quality guidelines.

New WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines:

In September 2021, the United Nations health agency tightened the global air quality norms and lowered the annual concentration of PM2.5 to five microgram (μg) from 10μg.
New WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines (AQGs) provide clear evidence of the damage air pollution inflicts on human health, at even lower concentrations than previously understood.
The guidelines recommend new air quality levels to protect the health of populations, by reducing levels of key air pollutants, some of which also contribute to climate change.

About WHO:

The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health.
It was established on 7 April 1948, and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
The core function of WHO is to direct and coordinate international health work through collaboration.
The main areas of work are health systems; health through the life-course; non-communicable and communicable diseases; preparedness, surveillance and response; and corporate services.
WHO partners with countries, the United Nations system, international organisations, and civil society, foundations, academia, and research institutions.
The World Health Assembly is attended by delegations from all Member States, and determines the policies of the Organization.