WMO: Wildfires and heatwaves threaten global air quality

Geneva (ANTARA) - The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on Monday (7/9) warned that increasing pollution from wildfires and heatwaves risks hindering global efforts to improve air quality and protect human health and ecosystems.

In its annual Air Quality and Climate Bulletin, the United Nations agency highlighted the close link between climate change and air pollution, and called for integrated policies to tackle both problems.

The report stated that extreme wildfire smoke events have tripled globally since the 1990s, citing a study estimating they contributed to nearly 100,000 additional deaths each year between 2010 and 2018.

The WMO warned that conventional risk models may underestimate deaths attributable to wildfires by as much as 93 per cent because they fail to adequately account for the higher toxicity of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) produced by fires.

“Meeting the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines will become increasingly difficult, given that the extreme weather that triggers fires is expected to increase in the future,” the bulletin said.

Heatwaves also worsen ground-level ozone pollution, as higher temperatures, stagnant air and intense sunlight trigger ozone formation.

The WMO said ozone-related health risks are expected to rise, potentially causing tens of thousands of additional premature deaths.

The bulletin also called for enhanced monitoring of various pollutants, including black carbon and microplastics in the atmosphere.