The harmful health effects of air pollution kick in at lower levels than previously thought, the World Health Organization said as it set a new standard for policymakers and the public in the first update of its air quality guidelines in 15 years.
The U.N. health agency released its revised guidance as climate change is a leading topic at the U.N. General Assembly in New York. Chinese President Xi Jinping announced Tuesday that China will no longer fund power plants fired by coal, which generates several of the pollutants covered by the guidelines.
Since the last update of the WHO recommendations, better monitoring and science have cleared up the global picture about the effects of six major air pollutants on human health. According to the agency, 90% of the world’s people already live in areas with at least one particularly harmful type of pollutant.
Source: AP News
https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-general-assembly-health-climate-environment-and-nature-xi-jinping-e0684e616ceef22462b8bb5db1c2d1eb
