Consumption in the G20 nations causes particulate air pollution resulting in two million premature deaths annually

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 12; no. 1; p. 6286
• Main Authors: Nansai, Keisuke, Tohno, Susumu, Chatani, Satoru, Kanemoto, Keiichiro, Kagawa, Shigemi, Kondo, Yasushi, Takayanagi, Wataru, Lenzen, Manfred
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 02-11-2021; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 704/844/4081; 704/844/685; Aged; Air Pollutants - analysis; Air Pollutants - poisoning; Air pollution; Air Pollution - adverse effects; Air Pollution - analysis; Air Pollution - prevention & control; Causality; Confidence intervals; Consumption; Databases, Factual; Developing countries; Environmental Exposure - statistics & numerical data; Fatalities; Footprints; Global Health; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Infant; Infant mortality; Infants; Internationality; LDCs; Mortality; Mortality, Premature - trends; multidisciplinary; Particulate matter; Particulate Matter - analysis; Particulate Matter - poisoning; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Transboundary pollution
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26348-y

Worldwide exposure to ambient PM
2.5
causes over 4 million premature deaths annually. As most of these deaths are in developing countries, without internationally coordinated efforts this polarized situation will continue. As yet, however, no studies have quantified nation-to-nation consumer responsibility for global mortality due to both primary and secondary PM
2.5
particles. Here we quantify the global footprint of PM
2.5
-driven premature deaths for the 19 G20 nations in a position to lead such efforts. G20 consumption in 2010 was responsible for 1.983 [95% Confidence Interval: 1.685–2.285] million premature deaths, at an average age of 67, including 78.6 [71.5–84.8] thousand infant deaths, implying that the G20 lifetime consumption of about 28 [24–33] people claims one life. Our results indicate that G20 nations should take responsibility for their footprint rather than focusing solely on transboundary air pollution, as this would expand opportunities for reducing PM
2.5
-driven premature mortality. Given the infant mortality footprint identified, it would moreover contribute to ensuring infant lives are not unfairly left behind in countries like South Africa, which have a weak relationship with G20 nations.
Worldwide exposure to ambient PM
2.5
causes millions of premature deaths annually. Here the authors quantify the global footprint of PM
2.5
-driven premature deaths for the G20 countries, which are in a position to lead internationally coordinated mitigation efforts.