World Air Quality Report: Air quality is improving, but just 17 per cent of global cities meet WHO guidelines

clock • 7 min read
Air pollution over downtown LA | Credit: iStock
Image:

Air pollution over downtown LA | Credit: iStock

IQAir’s 2024 World Air Quality Report analyses data from 40,000 global air monitoring stations and reveals 'alarming' pollution trends are continuing, despite some encouraging progress

Only 17 per cent of global cities met the World Health Organisation's (WHO) air pollution guidelines in 2024, leaving millions of people facing dangerously toxic air. That is just one of a host of "alarming...

To continue reading this article...

Join BusinessGreen

In just a few clicks you can start your free BusinessGreen Lite membership for 12 months, providing you access to:

  • Three complimentary articles per month covering the latest real-time news, analysis, and opinion from Europe’s leading source of information on the Green economy and business
  • Receive important and breaking news stories via our daily news alert
  • Our weekly newsletter with the best of the week’s green business news and analysis

Join now

 

Already a BusinessGreen member?

Login

More on Science

How SoilPoint is using complex science to boost soil health and reduce fertiliser dependence

How SoilPoint is using complex science to boost soil health and reduce fertiliser dependence

Alan Forrester, CEO at SoilPoint, talks taking sustainable farming inspiration from King Charles, identifying an early route to market, and challenging an industry-wide 'fear of moving first’

Stuart Stone
clock 20 October 2025 • 6 min read
How photography is helping researchers crack the 'code' to climate resilient coral

How photography is helping researchers crack the 'code' to climate resilient coral

Dr Jamie Craggs of the Coral Spawning Lab explains how coral photography can help researchers identify the 'extreme winners' that could enable reef restoration

Stuart Stone
clock 14 October 2025 • 11 min read
UK cultivated meat pioneer CellRev ceases trading

UK cultivated meat pioneer CellRev ceases trading

Newcastle University spin out calls in administrators, after struggling to deliver on commercial milestones

Stuart Stone
clock 01 September 2025 • 4 min read