Nearly 5 billion lack pollution information—a critical protection tool

Particulate air pollution (PM₂.₅) remains the world’s greatest external risk to human health, according to the AQLI. Yet, the countries that are most impacted by air pollution often lack the fundamental resources to combat it. While the AQLI provides important annual information based on satellite data that gives a clear indication of the costs of air pollution across a lifetime, people can also benefit from understanding the quality of the air they breathe daily, provided by local air quality monitors on a real-time basis.

Nearly 70 percent of the world’s population lives in countries where less than three monitors exist for every million people—leaving nearly 5 billion people around the world, many of whom live in some of the world’s most polluted countries, without access to adequate information about their air. Asia, Africa and South America combined make up 62 percent of landmass and contribute 93 percent of life years lost due to pollution. Yet, they contain only 36.4 percent of the world’s air pollution monitors. Meanwhile, Europe, the United States and Canada combined make up 19.96 percent of landmass and contribute 3.7 percent of life years lost due to pollution. And, they contain 60.1 percent of the world’s air pollution monitors.

Sustained air quality monitoring is an inexpensive way to lay critical groundwork for policy action. Last year, EPIC launched the Air Quality Fund to support local groups and organizations in installing air quality monitors, sharing open data, and using that data to further national-level impact. The Fund now supports 31 awardees in government, academia, and civil society who are installing more than 700 monitors across 19 countries.