The Big, Unaddressed Health & Wellness Issue: Surging Air Pollution and Wildfires
By Thierry Malleret, economist
Seven million people die prematurely every year because of outdoor air pollution, making it one of the leading causes of early death. A recent update of the WHO air quality guidelines provides clear evidence of the damage that air pollution inflicts on human health at even lower concentrations than previously recognized. Forest fires, a fallout from climate change, are now its leading cause. The recent smoke-choked orange skies and red alerts in New York City (and many other places) is a harbinger of the fast-coming disaster related to climate change. And while local conditions are usually the cause of air pollution, what just happened in the US is one of the first occurrences of wildfire pollution having a direct impact several thousand miles away from where it started. We’re entering a global wildfire crisis—and air pollution, together with the effort to mitigate its deadly effects, will become a more central issue for the wellness industry.
THE CLIMATE CRISIS, WILDFIRES AND WELLBEING:
The World Health Organization (WHO) and several other research organizations estimate that globally almost 7 million people die prematurely every year because of outdoor air pollution. This makes it one of the leading causes of premature death, with an impact on life expectancy roughly comparable with that of a poor diet.
Many diverse factors contribute to air pollution, including fine particulate matter that enters the lungs when we breathe. Long-term exposure to high levels often leads to heart and lung disease. A recent update of the WHO air quality guidelines provides clear evidence of the damage that air pollution inflicts on human health at even lower concentrations than previously recognized.
Fine particulate matter comes from different sources like forest fires, agricultural and residential wood burning, power plants, motor vehicles, airplanes, volcanic eruptions and dust storms. Forest fires, a direct consequence of climate change, are now a leading cause of air pollution, with recent orange skies and red alerts in New York City (and many other places) a harbinger of the fast-coming disaster related to climate change, and the subsequent impact it is having on human health and wellbeing.
To be sure, air pollution reaches catastrophic levels (well beyond WHO thresholds considered “safe”) in many cities around the world (in China, India, the Middle East, etc.), but it is normally the byproduct of local conditions (like too many old cars on the road, or unregulated commodities extraction, or industrial production). What just happened is one of the first occurrence of wildfire pollution having a direct impact several thousand miles away from where it originated.
The key lessons are twofold. (1) This doesn’t come as a surprise—we were warned for years but failed to act. Last year, a landmark UN report concluded that the risk of devastating wildfires around the world will surge in coming decades as climate change further intensifies what it described as a “global wildfire crisis.” (2) Climate action—irrespective of how determined and effective it is—won’t be sufficient to prevent disasters from becoming more frequent and impactful. In the coming years, expect air pollution, and the effort to mitigate its worst effects, to be a central issue for the wellness industry. The bottom line: The wellbeing of our planet and our individual wellbeing are inextricably linked.
