By Linda Naa Deide Aryeetey, GNA
Accra, May 28, GNA – Polluted air remains one of the leading preventable causes of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), with low- and middle-income countries carrying the heaviest burden, a new global report on air pollution has revealed.
The report, titled: “A Breathable Planet: Best Practices for Clean Air Policies to Meet NCD Targets,” was developed by the NCD Alliance in collaboration with international health and environmental experts, including Mr Labram Musah, National Coordinator of the Ghana NCD Alliance.
It showed that polluted air was responsible for 7.9 million deaths globally each year, with 86 per cent of those deaths linked to NCDs such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory conditions.
The report noted that the health and economic impact of air pollution was particularly severe in low- and middle-income countries, where vulnerable populations often lived near industrial zones, congested roads and polluted environments with limited access to healthcare.
“Air pollution has now become the fifth major global risk factor for NCDs, alongside tobacco use, harmful alcohol consumption, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity,” the report stated.
It identified particulate matter pollution as the second-largest risk factor for deaths from stroke and ischemic heart disease, while growing evidence also linked polluted air to dementia, mental health disorders and worsening symptoms among people living with chronic illnesses.
The report welcomed recent political commitments, including the endorsement by the World Health Assembly in 2025 of a World Health Organisation (WHO) roadmap, aimed at halving deaths caused by human-generated air pollution by 2040.
It also referenced the 2025 United Nations High-Level Meeting on NCDs and Mental Health, where member states pledged stronger clean air policies.
The report noted that clean air policies could deliver rapid health benefits if governments implemented bold interventions such as reducing fossil fuel subsidies, improving public transport systems, investing in renewable energy, regulating industrial emissions and promoting cleaner cooking technologies.
It cited China’s efforts to reduce industrial emissions, which significantly improved air quality and increased life expectancy, stating that during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, temporary anti-pollution measures led to a sharp decline in asthma-related hospital visits within months.
The report advocated stronger air quality standards in schools, workplaces and hospitals to protect vulnerable groups, especially children, whose developing lungs and immune systems made them more susceptible to polluted air.
It urged governments to integrate air pollution measures into national NCD action plans and climate policies, emphasising that tackling pollution would also help achieve several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to health, climate action, clean energy and environmental protection.
The report stressed that clean air must be treated as a fundamental human right, not a privilege.
It warned that delays in implementing effective policies would continue to cost millions of lives and deepen global health inequalities.
With Ghana and other African countries facing rising rates of NCDs, the findings underscore the urgent need for decisive action, saying that the choices governments make today will determine whether future generations inherit a breathable planet or a worsening health crisis.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe
Reporter: Linda Naa Deide Aryeetey
Email: [email protected]