According to a study conducted by researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, improved air quality in cities as a result of a decline in carbon emissions could bring about significant reductions in childhood asthma cases, premature delivery, and the cases of infants born with low body weight (LSHTM).
More than 20,000 incidences of pediatric asthma, over 43,000 untimely births, and over 22,000 low birthweight births might be avoided yearly if the 16 cities included in the research lowered their air pollution to net-zero levels.
The Outcomes at a City Level Revealed:
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Each year, 7,200, 5,700, and 4,000 incidences of childhood asthma would be avoided in Los Angeles, Mexico City, and Manila, respectively.
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When measured in terms of cases prevented per 100,000 of the population, London would have 1,700 fewer incidences of asthma, the third-highest figure after Los Angeles and Mexico City.
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Premature births would be reduced the most in Dhaka, Manila, and Lahore, with 23,800, 7,000, and 4,600 incidences avoided yearly, respectively. In terms of low birthweight births, the same cities would benefit the most, with 13,500, 2,500, and 3,100 incidences prevented, respectively.
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When compared to the number of births each year, Dhaka, Bhubaneswar, and Jaipur would witness the highest reductions in unfavorable birth outcomes (cases averted per 100,000 births).
While it is reasonable to predict that benefits would be greater in more polluted places, the authors point out that additional data is required to evaluate the full extent of the impact in these locations, where foundational published health data is less accessible or up to date.
Also Read: IEA Predicted That by 2050, Carbon Emission Will Decrease by Just 40%
Study Analysis
The researchers estimated the impact of different health outcomes produced by air pollution at present levels and at levels corresponding to a worldwide net-zero scenario in 16 major cities.
The researchers calculated contributions to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations from several sectors, including home energy usage, energy production, industry, and transportation, and then eliminated them to reflect net-zero air pollution levels in each city.
The researchers discovered numerous additional child health outcomes that might be improved with cleaner air through literature analysis, including lung growth, the risk of respiratory illnesses like pneumonia, and cognitive development.
In addition to the modeling study, the researchers conducted a survey of 3,222 young adults (aged 13-25), parents of younger children, and pregnant parents from 59 cities throughout the globe, and discovered the following:
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Air pollution is ranked second only to traffic and congestion as one of the three worst things about their city by four out of ten young poll respondents. Young people blamed motor vehicles, industry, waste burning, and building for the city's air pollution.
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Four out of ten people claimed their city was growing better, while a third said it was getting worse.
How Can a Wider Goal be Achieved?
The poll was made accessible in ten languages and disseminated through social media postings aimed at the same 16 cities as those included in the co-benefits study to ensure a diverse range of perspectives were recorded.
Participants made suggestions for bettering city planning, urban transportation, health, education, and employment possibilities.
They also said that fair access to basic services is a necessity for accomplishing greater aim and that structural obstacles such as inequality, corruption, and a lack of climate awareness must be tackled.
Related Article: Air Quality: Pollution Affects Children's GPAs, Researchers Say
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