The Lancet, one of the oldest medical journals, published a study on November 27 revealing that air pollution from landscape fires contributes to around 1.5 million deaths each year globally.
According to the study, the five countries with the largest fire-related deaths were China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, India, Indonesia, and Nigeria.
More than 90% of deaths attributable to this cause occurred in low-income and middle-income countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Additionally, an estimated 220,000 deaths were linked to respiratory illnesses caused by smoke and particles released into the air by fires.
The authors of the study called for “urgent action” to face the issue of pollution-related deaths and stressed the “climate injustice” suffered by poorer countries.
On November 11 – 22, wealthier countries at the UN climate conference COP29 agreed to offer climate finance worth $300 billion a year by 2035, which “was far lower than developing countries had hoped for.”
Another study published early this month from Germany’s University of Bonn and Brazil’s Federal University of Minas Gerais showed that policies to disincentivize Amazon deforestation lead to better health outcomes.
In 2023, the Philippines was the 79th country with the worst air quality out of 134 countries according to IQAir. Moreover, the 2019 study by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air found that air pollution caused 66,230 deaths in the Philippines, with an estimated 64,920 adults and 1,310 children among the victims.
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