Bangladesh and Chad Recognized as the Most Polluted Countries in 2024

In 2024, Bangladesh and Chad have been ranked as the world’s most polluted countries, with air quality levels significantly exceeding WHO guidelines. Only seven nations met the required standards last year, highlighting the challenges of addressing smog, especially after the United States ended its air quality monitoring efforts. Countries like India also continue to struggle with high pollution levels and face data shortages due to the U.S. program’s termination.

In 2024, Bangladesh has been identified as the world’s most polluted nation, with air quality measurements exceeding World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines by over 15 times, according to the Swiss air quality monitoring organization, IQAir. Chad has been ranked alongside Bangladesh, while India, Pakistan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo also faced critical levels of air pollution, as reported by Reuters.

Just seven countries, specifically Australia, New Zealand, the Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Estonia, and Iceland, achieved compliance with WHO air quality standards last year. This data emphasizes the growing challenge of addressing air pollution, particularly following the cessation of the United States’ global air quality monitoring initiatives.

Significant data gaps, particularly in regions like Asia and Africa, hinder global air quality assessments. Many developing nations have traditionally depended on air quality data from U.S. embassy sources, but the State Department’s budget cuts led to the abolition of this scheme, which resulted in the erasure of more than 17 years of air quality data from airnow.gov, including crucial measurements from Chad.

Christi Chester-Schroeder, IQAir’s air quality science manager, highlighted that the end of the U.S. monitoring program will severely impact African nations, where this data has often been the only source of reliable real-time air quality information available to the public.

Chad was not included in IQAir’s 2023 pollution list due to data limitations, although it was previously noted as the most polluted country in 2022, suffering from Sahara dust and uncontrolled agricultural burning. The average PM2.5 levels in Chad reached 91.8 micrograms per cubic meter in 2024, exceeding the WHO guideline of 5 mg/cu m, a target achieved by only 17 percent of global cities.

India ranked fifth in pollution statistics, with average PM2.5 levels dropping 7 percent to 50.6 mg/cu m. Despite the decrease, India had 12 of the top 20 most polluted cities, with Byrnihat leading with an alarming PM2.5 level of 128 mg/cu m.

Chester-Schroeder addressed the growing impact of climate change on pollution, linking increasing temperatures to more frequent and intense forest fires in Southeast Asia and South America. Meanwhile, Christa Hasenkopf from the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute emphasized that at least 34 nations will face a loss of reliable pollution data due to the termination of the U.S. program, which had proven effective in improving air quality in monitored cities, enhancing life expectancy, and lowering hazard payments for U.S. diplomats.

The report underscores the severity of air pollution, particularly in Bangladesh and Chad, which have been identified as the most polluted nations. The challenges of addressing this crisis are exacerbated by the suspension of U.S. monitoring programs, which have provided essential data for numerous countries. The implications of climate change further complicate these issues, emphasizing the urgent need for global attention and action to mitigate air pollution.

Original Source: bdnews24.com