差不多所有地球人都在呼吸不安全的空氣。

在不列顛哥倫比亞大學(xué)專家的協(xié)助下，健康影響研究所（Health Effects Institute）、健康指標(biāo)評估研究所（Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation）進(jìn)行的最新綜合性研究得出了這一結(jié)論。該研究所使用了衛(wèi)星數(shù)據(jù)和改進(jìn)的監(jiān)測工具，研究結(jié)果很不樂觀。不僅是全球絕大多數(shù)人口都在呼吸不安全空氣，而且富裕國家和貧窮國家的差距也在不斷擴(kuò)大。據(jù)該研究所副總裁鮑勃·奧基夫介紹，目前空氣污染最重地區(qū)和最輕地區(qū)的差異為11倍，而1990年時(shí)二者相差為6倍。

人們受到污染影響與城市人口不斷增長有關(guān)，但農(nóng)村地區(qū)居民同樣面臨風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。在室內(nèi)燃燒固體燃料會讓家里的空氣變得不適于呼吸 。全球范圍內(nèi)，有三分之一人口需要同時(shí)面對室內(nèi)外不安全空氣。空氣污染目前排在吸煙之后，是全球第四大致死因素，也是最大的環(huán)境健康風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。據(jù)估計(jì)，2017年有600萬人因此喪生。

不過，奧基夫也提到了一些樂觀因素。1990年以來，盡管污染變得更加嚴(yán)重，生活在室內(nèi)使用固體燃料環(huán)境中的世界人口減少了10億以上。兩個(gè)污染最嚴(yán)重的國家——中國和印度的治污情況正在改善。

但要擔(dān)心的可不僅是發(fā)展中國家。2010-2016年，美國因污染而死亡的人數(shù)呈上升態(tài)勢，而1990-2009年與污染有關(guān)的死亡人數(shù)一直在下滑。研究表明，倫敦的污染水平全面高于全球標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。讓倫敦的空氣變干凈已經(jīng)成為市長薩迪克·汗的重大舉措之一。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

譯者：Charile

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Nearly everyone on earth breathes unsafe air.

That’s according to a new comprehensive study from the Health Effects Institute and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, with expert input from the University of British Columbia. The Institute used satellite data and improved monitoring tools to conduct their research, and the results are bleak. Not only is the vast majority of the world’s population breathing unsafe air, but also the gap between wealthy countries and poor countries are increasing. There is now an 11-fold gap between the most- and least-polluted areas compared to a six-fold gap in 1990, according to Bob O’Keefe, the vice president of the Institute.

Exposure to pollution is associated with the increasing population of cities, but people who live in rural areas are also at risk. Burning solid fuels indoors makes the air inside a home dangerous to breathe. Globally, one in three people face unsafe air both indoors and outside. Air pollution is now the fourth leading cause of death worldwide, weighing in just below smoking, and the top environmental health risk. Pollution contributed to an estimated 6 million deaths in 2017.

Still, O’Keefe cited some cause for optimism. The number of people worldwide exposed to solid fuels indoors has fallen by over a billion since 1990, despite an increase in population, and China and India—two of the worst offenders when it comes to pollution—are improving their pollution controls.

But developing countries aren’t the only cause for concern. Between 2010 and 2016 there was an uptick in U.S. deaths where pollution was a contributing factor. Pollution-related deaths had previously been on a downward trend since 1990. In London, studies have shown that every area of the capital has pollution levels higher than global standards recommend. Cleaning up London’s air has become one of Mayor Sadiq Khan’s major initiatives.