Every day, around 2,000 children lose their lives due to air pollution

A recent report highlighted air pollution as the second leading cause of premature death globally, responsible for 8.1 million deaths in 2021, or about 12% of all deaths. According to UNICEF and the Health Effects Institute, this surpasses other major risk factors like tobacco use and poor diet. Alarmingly, over 700,000 children under five years old died due to air pollution, with indoor use of dirty fuels like coal and wood contributing significantly, particularly in Africa and Asia. Pallavi Pant from the Health Effects Institute emphasized that these deaths are preventable, underscoring the report's goal to establish a connection between disease rates and air pollution levels.