One third of the world's countries do not have outdoor air quality laws, and those nations that do have such laws vary widely and often do not conform to WHO guidelines

One in three countries lacks mandatory air quality standards

UNICEF/Roger LeMoyne - Pollution over the skies of the Chinese city of Shanghai obscures the sunset.

ONU/Atalayar

03 de septiembre de 2021 (15:03 h.)

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The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) also highlighted that 31 per cent of countries with such environmental legislative capacity have not yet adopted it, according to the agency's first-ever assessment of air quality laws and regulations.

The report, which is being launched to mark International Clean Air Day for Blue Skies on 7 September, examines national air quality legislation in 194 states and the European Union. The study analyses various aspects of the legal frameworks in these countries and assesses their effectiveness in ensuring compliance with air quality standards.

While noting that there is no single approach to air quality monitoring, it specifies that there are important reasons for countries to include such legislation. These include ensuring institutional responsibility, transparency and accountability, and creating administrative architectures to support and strengthen enforcement of air quality standards.

Almost all of us live in places with more pollution than is allowed

The document also recalls that the World Health Organisation (WHO) lists air pollution as the greatest environmental health risk, with 92% of the world's population living in places where pollution levels exceed safe limits.

This situation disproportionately affects women, children and the elderly in low-income countries, he explains, adding that recent studies suggest possible correlations between the health effects of COVID-19 and air pollution.

Although the WHO has published a set of guideline values for air quality, there is no global harmonisation or common legal framework to implement them. Thus, some 34% of countries have no air quality laws and even where they have been passed they are difficult to compare.

As an example, "globally, 49% of countries define air pollution exclusively as an external threat, the geographical coverage of air quality standards are different and more than half of the countries allow deviations from these standards".

In addition, institutional accountability for meeting these standards is weak worldwide: only 33% of nations enforce compliance with legally established rules.

The report calls for the adoption of strong air quality laws in more countries.