Wildfires drive global air pollution, WMO warns of rising health risks

Geneva [Switzerland], September 5 (ANI): Wildfires contributed significantly to air pollution last year, releasing a "witches' brew" of harmful pollutants that can affect air quality even continents away, the United Nations' World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said in its fifth annual Air Quality and Climate Bulletin, Al Jazeera reported.
The WMO highlighted that wildfires, which have likely become more frequent due to climate change, pose growing risks to infrastructure, ecosystems, and human health.
"Wildfires are a big contributor to particle pollution and the problem is expected to increase as the climate warms, posing growing risks for infrastructure and ecosystems and human health," the agency said, according to Al Jazeera.
"Climate change and air quality cannot be addressed in isolation. They must be tackled together in order to protect our planet, our communities, and our economies," added Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett, Al Jazeera reported.
The report noted that tiny particles called aerosols, particularly those with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres (PM 2.5), are especially harmful because they can penetrate deep into the lungs or cardiovascular system.
Wildfires in 2024 led to above-average PM 2.5 levels in Canada, Siberia, and central Africa, with the Amazon basin recording the largest surge, Al Jazeera added.
WMO Scientific Officer Lorenzo Labrador, who coordinated the bulletin, said wildfires in Canada also affected air quality in Europe.
"We had that last year and this year as well. So you have a degradation in air quality across continents when the meteorological conditions are right," Labrador told a news conference. "What we have from these fires is essentially a witches' brew of components that pollute the air," Al Jazeera reported.
The World Health Organization estimates that air pollution causes more than 4.5 million premature deaths annually.
The WMO called for improved monitoring and policies to safeguard human and environmental health and reduce agricultural and economic losses, Al Jazeera reported.
Paolo Laj, WMO's global atmosphere chief, highlighted successful mitigation measures in some regions. "Look at Europe, Shanghai, Beijing, cities in the United States: Many cities have taken measures and you see in the long term, a strong decrease" in recorded air pollution, he said. "Over a 10-year period, Chinese cities have improved their air quality in a dramatic way. It's really impressive what they have done," Al Jazeera added.
Laj further said that while there is no single solution to drastically cut air pollution, "when measures are taken, it works," underscoring the importance of proactive environmental policies. (ANI)