Investing in Air Pollution Control

The Biggest Global Killer Isn’t What You Think

Around 9 million people died prematurely in 2015 because of diseases caused by pollution – 16 percent of early global deaths that year, and three times more than died from malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS combined, according to a new study in the Lancet.

The study adds: “Economic metrics such as willingness-to-pay and analyses of the long-term cost of pollution, show that pollution control does not, in fact, incur an economic cost but instead offers a sound financial investment. In regions where air pollution control has been implemented, large-scale benefits have accrued. For example, in the USA, a US$30 benefit is estimated to have resulted from each $1 invested in controlling air pollution. This benefit has been seen in health, productivity, and life expectancy.”

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