UNICEF urges immediate action to tackle air pollution, highlighting its devastating impact on young children’s health.
Every day, more than 100 children under five years old lose their lives in East Asia and the Pacific due to the harmful effects of air pollution, according to a new report from UNICEF. With nearly 40,000 child deaths each year attributed to pollution-related causes in the region, the UN Children’s Fund has issued a stark warning, calling for urgent measures to improve air quality, reduce emissions, and strengthen health systems.
UNICEF’s report, Growing Up In The Haze, reveals that over 500 million children across the region are living in areas where air pollution is alarmingly high, exposing them to toxic air both indoors and outdoors. This exposure can have lifelong health consequences, beginning even before birth. Household air pollution, caused by the burning of fuels like wood and dried dung for cooking and heating, is especially deadly, contributing to more than half of all air pollution-related deaths in young children.
The report underscores that countries such as China, Indonesia, and the Philippines are struggling with severe air pollution, particularly during the dry season. In Thailand, for instance, hazardous air quality is exacerbated by crop burning. UNICEF estimates that nearly one in four deaths of children under five in East Asia and the Pacific is directly linked to air pollution, making it the second leading cause of child mortality in the region after malnutrition.
Globally, air pollution is responsible for nearly 2,000 child deaths every day and has become the second leading cause of premature death worldwide. Tiny particles known as PM2.5, which penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream, are particularly harmful. Long-term exposure to these pollutants can lead to chronic respiratory conditions, delayed brain development, and even cancer.
While progress has been made in reducing child deaths linked to air pollution, with a 78% decrease between 2000 and 2021, the rate of decline in deaths from outdoor pollution has been much slower. Traffic emissions, industrial pollutants, and waste burning are major contributors to the rise in air pollution-related deaths among children.
UNICEF is calling for stronger environmental policies, a transition to cleaner energy sources, and improved healthcare responses to combat the crisis. Raising awareness, particularly among parents and educators, is also crucial to mitigate the damaging effects of air pollution and protect the future health of children across the region.
