AQLI Impact

The AQLI tool is important. It arms people with the information they need to get motivated, to speak up and to demand action from politicians, policy makers and business leaders so we can all have the chance to breathe easier.

This AQLI initiative is hugely important for India to keep track of how it is dealing with the severe hazards of particulate pollution

California has been at the forefront of air quality regulation in the United States since 1940’s. From tough emissions standards for cars and trucks, to cutting toxic pollution from fuels and paints, we have worked hard to protect air quality while preserving economic growth. The AQLI demonstrates why this work is so vital. Improving the air we breathe improves and lengthens the lives we live.

An Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) report from the University of Chicago unpacks the global challenge of air pollution, including its impact on Pakistan. The index reflects a disheartening reality, air pollution has led to a distressing decline of four years in the average life expectancy of Pakistani citizens.

The University of Chicago’s Air Quality Life Index project [is] the gold standard on global air quality research...AQLI maintains a remarkable and easy-to-use tool that allows you to trace that answer down to the county level, all around the world and working back through 24 years of data.

The AQLI clearly demonstrates that particulate pollution, driven largely by the burning of fossil fuels, is the world's leading threat to life expectancy. To extend lives and mitigate the risks of climate change, we must transform our energy systems at an unprecedented pace.