In South Asia, one of the world’s most polluted regions, a rapid increase in air pollution could shorten human life expectancy by more than five years, according to a report released on Tuesday by the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute (EPIC), Al Jazeera reported. .
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The region, which includes the world’s most polluted countries Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan, accounts for more than half of all the years of life lost by the world’s population due to pollution, according to the Air Quality and Life Index Institute.
The report says that rapid industrialization and population growth have contributed to deteriorating air quality in South Asia. Pollution levels in the region are now reported to be more than 50% higher than at the beginning of the century, and completely suppress the dangers associated with other health threats.
The report says that residents of Bangladesh, considered the most polluted country in the world, could lose an average of 6.8 years of life per person compared to 3.6 months in the US.
India accounts for about 59% of the increase in global pollution since 2013. Dangerous air threatens to further shorten lives in the country’s most polluted regions, the report says.