Air pollution is a global problem, but it disproportionately impacts impoverished communities. According to the World Bank, approximately 10% of people living in poverty experience poor air quality. This affects at least 70 million individuals, who must contend with air pollution alongside other challenges associated with poverty.

Lower-income communities often face significant disadvantages due to their location and economic circumstances. This can result in a range of issues that may persist for generations. According to Professor Robert Shorten, there is a notable relationship between poverty and environmental pollution, where poverty can lead to increased pollution, and environmental pollution can, in turn, exacerbate poverty. Here is how air pollution affects the impoverished.

The Way Air Pollution Affects the Impoverished

When pollution affects an area, it often leads to a decrease in house prices. This happens because fewer people want to live in polluted areas, so the demand for homes there is lower. As a result, individuals with limited financial resources may find it easier to afford housing in these areas due to the reduced property costs compared to less polluted regions.

While industrial areas and factories contribute significantly to air pollution, households also play a role. In many developing countries, impoverished families use inexpensive but harmful energy sources that pollute the air. Fossil fuels, in particular, are often to blame due to the unhealthy levels of nitrogen oxide emissions they produce.

The switch to less harmful energy sources, such as renewable energy sources, is difficult for impoverished households. Renewable energy infrastructure involves costs that people in poverty simply cannot afford.

The Effects of Air Pollution

Air pollution significantly impacts human health as the harmful particles damage the lungs and puts people at risk of cancer, heart disease and stroke. For people in impoverished communities, quality health care is scarce, meaning people struggle to access medical services when they need to.

The lack of proper health care facilities leads to delays in people returning to work when they are sick, resulting in reduced income. Even worse, air pollution can lead to serious health issues and, in some cases, premature death.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 7 million people, primarily in developing countries, die each year due to the effects of air pollution. Moreover, an alarming “nine in 10 people on the planet live with poor, even dangerous, air.”

Devastating Consequences

Children are the most vulnerable group in this situation. One study revealed that children from lower-income neighborhoods suffer from brain damage due to exposure to neurotoxic air pollutants. These pollutants negatively affect the development of their brains, hampering their cognitive growth. This is a significant issue because research indicates that children with impaired neurological development often face difficulties in school.

Children from lower-income backgrounds face educational disadvantages due to pollution, which can trap them in poverty. This situation can hinder their ability to complete their education or attend prestigious colleges, resulting in reduced income. Furthermore, neurotoxic air pollutants may also affect their offspring. Research from the Institute of Labor Economics supports this, which indicates that lower-income children living near industrial facilities releasing toxic chemicals experience, on average, 1.252 fewer years of education and a 13.9% reduced likelihood of graduating from high school. Additionally, forecasts suggest that about 9.3% of these children could develop cognitive disabilities as adults.

Ongoing Efforts

BreatheLife mobilizes communities to reduce the impact of air pollution on human health and the environment. In 2019, BreatheLife, a campaign by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, WHO and the UN Environment, implemented initiatives in 55 cities and countries, positively impacting more than 153 million people. The campaign convinced 55,000 people to travel regularly via bike or on foot in order to reduce air pollution from vehicles. BreatheLife’s efforts continue to impact. The organization is active in 79 cities, regions and countries, reaching nearly 500 million people.

WHO has developed an entire guidebook on how countries can monitor their air quality. “The overall objective of the updated global guidelines is to offer quantitative health-based recommendations for air quality management, expressed as long or short-term concentrations for a number of key air pollutants.”

Hopes for the Future

While the fact that air pollution affects the impoverished is a concerning issue, there are ongoing efforts to address this problem. Initiatives like BreatheLife are making a positive impact by mobilizing communities to reduce air pollution’s effects on both human health and the environment. Additionally, WHO has provided guidance on how countries can monitor and manage air quality to protect their citizens. These efforts offer hope for a healthier and more equitable future, where the burden of air pollution on impoverished communities can be alleviated.

– Uzair Khan
Photo: Flickr