Top 5 most polluted nations according to who

[ashok mourya]

The Top 5 Most Polluted Countries in the World | Care2 Causes

• The WHO has released a new study ranking countries with the worst air pollution. When we consider air pollution most of us will automatically think of China. However, it was nowhere to be found in the top 10 offenders. This, by the way, is not because they’ve suddenly cleaned up their act, but rather because this study ranked countries as a whole, rather than cities.

So here are the top 5 countries with the worst air pollution, and what they are trying to do to combat it.

1. Pakistan

Pakistan made #1 on the list with a PM 2.5 pollution level of 101 ug/m3. Now, that might not make sense so let me break it down: PM 2.5 stands for the size of the particles of pollution. The size (2.5) is frequently cited as the most detrimental because it can travel deep into lungs and cause a variety of ailments. Good examples of these particles are smoke, mold and dust. The ug/m3 part stands for micrograms per unit meter of air. So Pakistan has 101 micrograms of PM 2.5 pollutants per unit meter of air.

This level of pollution can be fatal to certain people with compromised respiratory systems and is blamed for killing thousands each year. Such pollutants also cause at least 80,000 hospitalizations in Pakistan alone. Although Pakistan has hosted a number of green air initiatives, and Coca-Cola has even led the fight in establishing better air quality, the country continues to suffer from some of the worst pollution on the planet.

Part of this is because Pakistan is dealing with crippling security threats on an everyday basis. Recent attacks on Karachi’s International Airport and Taliban offenses from the Afghan border mean that much of the government budget is devoted to security rather than health and the environment. Because of this, Pakistanis will continue to suffer a host of complications due to pollution.

2. Qatar

Qatar ranks in as the second worst country with 92 units of PM 2.5 micrograms per unit meter of air. Heavy construction in a relatively small area, combined with one of the biggest growing international airports have converged to create truly terrible air quality. However, Qatar is doing something about this.

The Sahara Forest Project, which is somewhat oddly named as the desert in Qatar is not the Sahara (not even close), is using state of the art techniques to plant trees, bushes, and bring sustainable water and energy designs to the miles of desert that surround the city’s countryside. Further, by trapping seawater and evaporating it into the air, they are looking to reduce desert temperatures to create a more humid climate. If it is successful, it could help bring down the pollution levels in Qatar substantially.

Although some flinch at the idea of removing a desert ecosystem that has existed for thousands of years, projects such as these have been accomplished before, in desertification areas of Northern Africa. The results have actually been positive, showing little impact on overall environmental stability.

3. Afghanistan

Afghanistan comes in just after Qatar with a PM 2.5 level of 84 micrograms per unit meter of air. Part of this naturally has to do with the recent war. Rubble, creating a mix of toxic building materials in the air, along with bombs, smoke, generators which run on diesel, and air travel in and out of the country have come together in a disastrous mix of toxic pollutants.

Sadly, not a whole lot is planned for invigorating the air quality of the country. Although Afghanistan does have a Green Club, a lot of the activities are simply raising awareness for the problem as actual funds to institute programs are near impossible to find.

4. Bangladesh

This is one of the few nations where air quality has fallen steadily over the past few years, the air here has a PM 2.5 level of 79 micrograms per unit meter of air. Air quality is something which sends thousands of Bangladeshis to hospitals every year, especially in urban areas where massive factories have sprung up.

Part of this is because the country provides very cheap labor and industry, which has led to a deregulation of sorts in the country. Because of loose standards for the environment, companies can save labor money but create a large environmental impact.

Enter the Bangladesh Green Roof Movement. Started by local groups, this is a movement which could have a great impact on the country. By planting gardens they not only help with food sustainability, but help reduce the pollution levels inside the country. While Bangladesh has a long way to go, it’s heartening to see that the citizens are taking it upon themselves to try to create a greener future.

5. Iran

Iran rounds out the top five most polluted countries with a PM 2.5 level of 76 micrograms per unit meter of air. Part of the reason for this is simply a lack of quality products. The gasoline used is often poor quality, the building materials used contain asbestos, and overcrowding and a large youth population has led to congested streets.

However, with such a large youth population, Iran has also started championing some interesting environmental movements. Demonstrations where people line up inside of public parks with breathing masks on have spread on social media. Although environmental issues are often the bastion of upper-middle class people in developing nations, in Iran’s case citizens from all walks of life have gotten involved. This includes villagers renouncing poor cooking methods and poaching.

Although the current president of Iran has remained fairly mum on the environment, most agree he is far more open to it than Iran’s former president. This has given the Iranian youth hope that environmental consciousness improves as their country moves forward.



Read more: The Top 5 Most Polluted Countries in the World | Care2 Causes

 

[Arya Desa]

pakistan #1 is because, like India, they probably burn their fields after harvest.

 

[ashok mourya]

Most polluted cities

Pollution Index 2015
1.China
China wins the number one spot for the world’s most polluting country as it emits 6,018 million tonnes of greenhouse gases each year. This comes at little surprise as huge amounts of goods are manufactured in China, then exported all over the world. China also has the world's largest population of 1,324,655,000 so it consumes vast amounts of fossil fuels for transportation, cities, workplaces and food production.

2.USA
Prior to 2007 the United States was the world's biggest polluter, it still however comes not too far behind China producing 5,833 million tonnes of greenhouse gases annually. With one of the world's largest meat industries and largest oil industries the U.S.A consumes 18,690,000 barrels of oil per day, more than any other country. It's population now exceeds 310,383,444 so there is a growing number of people consuming oil for transportation, food production, their homes and their workplaces.

3.Russia
Russia has a smaller population of 141,950,000 compared with the U.S and China but still produces a significant amount of Co2, 1,704 million tonnes per annum. Russia claims it is ready to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25% when other countries agree to do the same. This statement is somewhat cast into doubt with Russia's new plans to exploit the Arctic’s vast oil reserves and wants to construct floating power plants in the Arctic Ocean.

4.India
India is the second highest populated country in the world with a population size of 1,139,964,932 people. As a result, the country has a very high carbon output of 1,293 million tonnes. The country is becoming heavily industrialised and is undergoing significant growth in production and exportation. However, this comes with a price as many people including children are exploited as labourers by the large factories and corporations.

5.Japan
Japan ranks fifth producing 1,247 million tonnes of Co2 a year. Like Russia, Japan plans to cut its Co2 emissions by 25% when it sees other countries committing to the same. The main contributors to the pollution are the large areas of urbanization, industrialisation and the large amount of transportation. The Japanese Environment Agency has taken steps to reduce emissions by adding regulations for automobile gas and tightening controls on nitrogen dioxide emission.

 

[Pomegranate]

Air in Delhi is world's worst, 13 other Indian cities aren't far behind
India is ending years of denial about its air quality, while the US Embassy in New Delhi plans to give daily accurate measures of air quality for tourists and expatriates.

By Syed Nazakat13 hours ago

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China’s dirty air often grabs global headlines with photos of its cities swathed in smog.

But it is India where air quality has been plummeting for years and is now the worst in the world. The cost of India’s economic growth is partly recorded in the fact that 13 of the 20 most polluted cities in the world are in India, according to the World Health Organization. New Dehli, India’s capital, is now number one on the list of the most polluted.

For many Indians, that news comes as a surprise. For years the Indian government has not shared data on air quality and has not initiated any serious public awareness about the rising problem. Debates on air pollution were largely dismissed as Western propaganda aimed at curtailing India's growth.

Recommended: How well do you know India? Take the quiz.

Few Indian cities have purchased or deployed the kind of monitoring equipment necessary to measure the levels of air quality, says Delhi-based environmentalist Sunita Narain. “We just don’t know how bad is the air we breathe,” he says.

Nor is the news getting better. A recently released joint study from the University of Chicago, Harvard, and Yale found that air pollution and attendant nasty chemical particulate matter, especially one called PM2.5, are significantly reducing life expectancies.

India recently crept into third place in the world for greenhouse gas emissions, as well. Yet unlike the deal forged this fall between President Obama and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on greenhouse gas reduction, Mr. Obama was unable to find the same kind of common ground with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his January visit to Delhi.

A NATIONWIDE PROBLEM

So grim is the current situation that Delhi has six times the level of airborne particulate matter identified by the US study as most likely to harm humans.

While Delhi may be newly awakening to its problems, the issue is a national one. Indian cities like Gwalior, Raipur, Lucknow, Firozabad, Kanpur, Amritsar, and Ludhiana are also being described as needing to more fully recognize the man-made conditions of bad air.

Delhi now records some 153 micrograms of PM2.5 per cubic meter. (The WHO's safe standard for PM2.5 is below 10 micrograms.)

But other Indian cities also record woeful figures. Patna has 149 micrograms. Gwalior has 144 and Raipur 134 micrograms. The other cities where the PM2.5 level is 10 times higher than WHO standard are Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Kanpur, Firozabad, Amritsar and Ludhiana. These figures are based on a spring 2014 WHO study and may not be the same today.

India hasn't made it simple to find out such information. Some 22 monitoring stations across the country check pollution in real time. But of these, only 12 are functional, and none check for PM2.5.

Factories and other industrial units in India are required to send air pollution data to state government agencies. But it is an open secret that the figures are fudged or hidden. Most states simply report data in terms of “average figures” rather than giving real-time data about air quality.

What's more is that state governments don't always update the figures. One official at the federal environment ministry points out that most data is more than two years old. The latest pollution data on the website of the state of Odisha is from 2006.

CLEARING THE AIR

Perhaps partly because of Mr. Obama’s evident displeasure at not getting a deal, and the witness of his delegation at the poor air, India’s air quality has received wider attention in the past month. The country's regulators appear emboldened after years of official denial.

Prakash Javedekar, India’s environment minister, says that air monitors have been installed on thousands of industrial units and in theory will send in accurate figures.

“We are facing a real crisis in as many cities and the world is seeing. I am not bothered about who describes me the baldest or worst,” Mr Javedekar said in an interview on Headline Today, an Indian news broadcast. “We are the worst.”

To improve air quality, India plans to initially track eight pollutants in 46 cities with populations exceeding a million people. After five years, the rest of the country will slowly be brought into the system.

But US Secretary of State John Kerry recently announced what some analysts took as a spur to the monitoring project. He said the US Embassy in Delhi would employ its own monitoring device and release daily data on a website, including figures on PM2.5.

The US launched a similar program in Beijing, following complaints from American tourists and expatriates.

“We have tens of thousands of US government workers who are employed in some 150 posts around the world,” Mr. Kerry said last week. “In many of the cities where those posts are located, believe me, it can get hard to have regular access to reliable PM2.5 data.”

 

[ashok mourya]

Air pollution deaths by country

 

[Pomegranate]

Air pollution deaths by country

Mr. President, World’s Worst Air Is Taking 6 Hours Off Your Life

(Bloomberg) -- U.S. President Barack Obama could lose roughly 6 hours from his expected lifespan after spending three days in India’s capital inhaling the world’s most toxic air.

Air Force One descended through an acrid smog when it landed in New Delhi on Sunday. A day later, haze obscured the visibility of fighter jets flying over Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as they watched the Republic Day parade, the ceremonial centerpiece of his visit.

Delhi has the world’s highest levels of PM2.5 -- tiny, toxic particles that lead to respiratory diseases, lung cancer and heart attacks. The Indian capital averaged 153 micrograms per cubic meter in 2013, the World Health Organization said in May, citing government data. That’s 15 times more than the average annual exposure recommended by the WHO.


India as a whole is home to 11 of the top 20 cities on the planet with the worst air quality, according to data from the WHO, which collected pollution levels from 1,600 metropolitan areas between 2008 to 2013. The worst U.S. city was Fresno, California, which came 162nd on the list.

During Obama’s three-day visit, PM2.5 levels in Delhi have averaged between 76 to 84 micrograms per cubic meter, according to data collected by India’s Ministry of Earth Sciences. The U.S. leader departed on Tuesday for Saudi Arabia.

Those levels translate roughly into an estimated loss of 2 hours a day in life expectancy, said David Spiegelhalter, a statistician at the University of Cambridge, who specializes in quantifying risk in a way that is understandable to the public

Mr. President, World’s Worst Air Is Taking 6 Hours Off Your Life - Bloomberg Business
@Zarvan

 

[Beast]

Most polluted cities

Pollution Index 2015
1.China
China wins the number one spot for the world’s most polluting country as it emits 6,018 million tonnes of greenhouse gases each year. This comes at little surprise as huge amounts of goods are manufactured in China, then exported all over the world. China also has the world's largest population of 1,324,655,000 so it consumes vast amounts of fossil fuels for transportation, cities, workplaces and food production.

2.USA
Prior to 2007 the United States was the world's biggest polluter, it still however comes not too far behind China producing 5,833 million tonnes of greenhouse gases annually. With one of the world's largest meat industries and largest oil industries the U.S.A consumes 18,690,000 barrels of oil per day, more than any other country. It's population now exceeds 310,383,444 so there is a growing number of people consuming oil for transportation, food production, their homes and their workplaces.

3.Russia
Russia has a smaller population of 141,950,000 compared with the U.S and China but still produces a significant amount of Co2, 1,704 million tonnes per annum. Russia claims it is ready to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25% when other countries agree to do the same. This statement is somewhat cast into doubt with Russia's new plans to exploit the Arctic’s vast oil reserves and wants to construct floating power plants in the Arctic Ocean.

4.India
India is the second highest populated country in the world with a population size of 1,139,964,932 people. As a result, the country has a very high carbon output of 1,293 million tonnes. The country is becoming heavily industrialised and is undergoing significant growth in production and exportation. However, this comes with a price as many people including children are exploited as labourers by the large factories and corporations.

5.Japan
Japan ranks fifth producing 1,247 million tonnes of Co2 a year. Like Russia, Japan plans to cut its Co2 emissions by 25% when it sees other countries committing to the same. The main contributors to the pollution are the large areas of urbanization, industrialisation and the large amount of transportation. The Japanese Environment Agency has taken steps to reduce emissions by adding regulations for automobile gas and tightening controls on nitrogen dioxide emission.

The title is misleading. It shall be most emitter or countries producing most pollution and not most polluted.

 

[Pomegranate]

The title is misleading. It shall be most emitter or countries producing most pollution and not most polluted.

Yes he is trolling on this thread ..... but due to my replies he has zipped it ..... i have quoted even Bloomberg where they claimed that obama lost 6 hours of life span due to visit of india .....

 

[ashok mourya]

The title is misleading. It shall be most emitter or countries producing most pollution and not most polluted.

The title created by Care2causes,I just shown it here.

Yes he is trolling on this thread ..... but due to my replies he has zipped it ..... i have quoted even Bloomberg where they claimed that obama lost 6 hours of life span due to visit of india .....

You think World health Organisation statistic are wrong, only the paid USA media bloomeberg is correct.

 

[Pomegranate]

The title created by Care2causes,I just shown it here.


You think World health Organisation statistic are wrong, only the paid USA media bloomeberg is correct.

Lol i have quoted what the world thinks about indian population and that is only drop from the ocean .. i can give you more if you want ..... I know what you are upto here .... Stop trolling ... and zip it .. plus you have no idea what bloomberg is it is the world leader on business news and markets ... very very very authentic

 

[Genesis]

Lol i have quoted what the world thinks about indian population and that is only drop from the ocean .. i can give you more if you want ..... I know what you are upto here .... Stop trolling ... and zip it .. plus you have no idea what bloomberg is it is the world leader on business news and markets ... very very very authentic

lol look at his signature and see if this really is a good way to spend your time.

 

[Pomegranate]

lol look at his signature and see if this really is a good way to spend your time.

Thanks for pointed out .. seems like he is really obsessed with china ....LOL he had his moment of happiness before i visited this thread ....

 

[ashok mourya]

Lol i have quoted what the world thinks about indian population and that is only drop from the ocean .. i can give you more if you want ..... I know what you are upto here .... Stop trolling ... and zip it .. plus you have no idea what bloomberg is it is the world leader on business news and markets ... very very very authentic

India is not what or world thinks about it. WHO is the most trusted sources regarding health around the world.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that is concerned with international public health. It was established on 7 April 1948, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. WHO is a member of the United Nations Development Group. Its predecessor, the Health Organization, was an agency of the League of Nations. The constitution of the World Health Organization had been signed by 61 countries on 22 July 1946, with the first meeting of the World Health Assembly finishing on 24 July 1948. It incorporated the Office International d'Hygiène Publique and the League of Nations Health Organization. Since its creation, it has played a leading role in the eradication of smallpox. Its current priorities include communicable diseases, in particular, HIV/AIDS, Ebola, malaria and tuberculosis; the mitigation of the effects of non-communicable diseases; sexual and reproductive health, development, and aging; nutrition, food security and healthy eating; occupational health; substance abuse; and drive the development of reporting, publications, and networking. WHO is responsible for the World Health Report, a leading international publication on health, the worldwide World Health Survey, and World Health Day (7 April of every year).

 

[bloo]

Lol i have quoted what the world thinks about indian population and that is only drop from the ocean .. i can give you more if you want ..... I know what you are upto here .... Stop trolling ... and zip it .. plus you have no idea what bloomberg is it is the world leader on business news and markets ... very very very authentic

And still Pakistan being No.1 in pollution will not change.

 

[Pomegranate]

India is not what or world thinks about it. WHO is the most trusted sources regarding health around the world.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that is concerned with international public health. It was established on 7 April 1948, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. WHO is a member of the United Nations Development Group. Its predecessor, the Health Organization, was an agency of the League of Nations. The constitution of the World Health Organization had been signed by 61 countries on 22 July 1946, with the first meeting of the World Health Assembly finishing on 24 July 1948. It incorporated the Office International d'Hygiène Publique and the League of Nations Health Organization. Since its creation, it has played a leading role in the eradication of smallpox. Its current priorities include communicable diseases, in particular, HIV/AIDS, Ebola, malaria and tuberculosis; the mitigation of the effects of non-communicable diseases; sexual and reproductive health, development, and aging; nutrition, food security and healthy eating; occupational health; substance abuse; and drive the development of reporting, publications, and networking. WHO is responsible for the World Health Report, a leading international publication on health, the worldwide World Health Survey, and World Health Day (7 April of every year).

WILL YOU ZIP IT NOW ... AFTER THIS "WHO"

Cities in India Among the Most Polluted, W.H.O. Says

NEW DELHI — New Delhi’s air is the most polluted in the world, according to an international report that quantifies pollution levels, confirming findings by experts confounded by the lack of attention to the city’s problem.

The findings by the World Health Organization, released on Wednesday, show that the cities ranking second through fourth are also in India, in the central Hindi belt.

For years, experts have wondered why so much international attention has focused on air pollution in Beijing when some say conditions are as bad or even worse in South Asia.

“I am shocked at the extent of the problem they found in India,” said Dr. Sundeep Salvi, the director of the Chest Research Foundation in Pune, India. “This is incredibly bad, and there is a complete lack of awareness about it both amongst policy makers and the common man.”

On Thursday in New Delhi, air pollution monitors measured levels of PM 2.5 — the small particles considered among the most dangerous for lung health — exceeding 350 micrograms per cubic meter of air. That was one of the highest levels recorded in Asia on Thursday, and twice as high as Beijing’s peak for the morning, according to a post on a Twitter account about Beijing pollution maintained by the United States Embassy there.

PM 2.5 refers to particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, which is believed to pose the greatest health risk because it penetrates deeply into lungs.

In Beijing, a pollution level as high as Delhi’s would most likely have caused widespread concern. But in Delhi, almost no one seemed to notice. Few people here wear the filter masks that have been appearing on the streets of Beijing, and even among the wealthy, few own air purifiers, which are used widely in East Asia, because few are even aware of the problem.

India is in the midst of national elections, but air pollution is rarely mentioned by leading politicians. At a recent embassy party here, several people expressed astonishment that New Delhi’s air was considered dangerous. One of the guests, a marathon runner who jogs through Delhi’s streets daily, said she had never noticed any problem with the air.