The International Energy Agency (IEA) called all governments to adopt policies to cut pollutants by half. According to the agency, the strategy will include a $4.8 trillion investment for advanced pollution control and accelerating the transformation of the energy industry.

“Clean air is a basic human right that most of the world’s population lacks. No country, rich or poor, can claim that the task of tackling air pollution is complete. But governments are far from powerless to act and need to act now,” said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol  

IEA’s first study on the quality of air shows that each year, 6.5 million people die due to poor quality of air. Air pollution is thus the fourth threat to human health behind high blood pressure, poor diet and smoking. According to the same study, energy production and fossil fuels generate 85% of particulate matters (pollutants that can be inhaled) and cause virtually all emission of oxides, sulfur and azote.

Gwladys Johnson