Bangladesh and Chad Rank as World’s Most Polluted Countries in 2024

In 2024, Bangladesh and Chad were reported as the most polluted countries worldwide, surpassing WHO air quality standards by over 15 times. The closure of the U.S. air quality monitoring program poses significant data collection challenges in Asia and Africa. Meanwhile, India shows a slight improvement in air quality, but climate change continues to exacerbate pollution issues globally.

In 2024, Bangladesh and Chad emerged as the world’s most polluted nations, with air quality levels exceeding the World Health Organization (WHO) standards by over 15 times. A report by Swiss air quality monitoring firm IQAir revealed that only seven countries—Australia, New Zealand, the Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Estonia, and Iceland—managed to meet WHO’s air quality guidelines.

Significant data gaps exist in Asia and Africa, where many developing nations have depended on air quality sensors located at U.S. embassy and consulate buildings to monitor pollution levels. However, the recent discontinuation of this monitoring program by the U.S. State Department, due to budget constraints, has raised concerns regarding the future of air quality assessments in these regions.

Christi Chester-Schroeder, IQAir’s air quality science manager, emphasized that the closure of this program would severely impact air quality monitoring in Africa, as the sensors often represented the sole source of publicly available real-time data. Chad, which was excluded from IQAir’s 2023 report due to similar data issues, had previously ranked as the most polluted country in 2022, largely due to Sahara dust and uncontrolled agricultural burning.

India recorded a notable decrease in average PM2.5 levels by 7%, falling to 50.6 mg/cu m. Nevertheless, it remained fifth in pollution rankings behind Chad, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, with the Meghalaya region experiencing PM2.5 levels as high as 128 mg/cu m. The exacerbation of pollution issues is increasingly linked to climate change, which contributes to prolonged and intensified forest fires in Southeast Asia and South America.

Christa Hasenkopf, Director of the Clean Air Program at the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute (EPIC), highlighted that the termination of the U.S. air quality monitoring initiative will deprive at least 34 countries of reliable environmental data. This program had previously contributed to improved air quality and life expectancy in monitored cities. Hasenkopf lamented that its closure represents a significant setback for global efforts in air quality management.

In summary, Bangladesh and Chad have been identified as the most polluted countries in 2024, highlighting concerns about air quality standards globally. The termination of the U.S. monitoring program significantly affects data collection in Asia and Africa, where such resources are crucial. This situation underscores the urgent need for robust air quality monitoring systems to tackle the growing pollution crisis effectively.

Original Source: www.newsbytesapp.com