WHO reports worsening air quality in cities
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Geneva - Air pollution has become worse in many cities around the world in recent years, especially in Africa and South-East Asia, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday.
Nearly 90 per cent of the world population breathes air that is markedly above the limits recommended by the WHO, the UN agency's report showed.
WHO experts identified car traffic, the burning of coal, oil and gas, as well as badly insulated houses as the main culprits.
"Too many urban centres today are so enveloped in dirty air that their skylines are invisible," said Flavia Bustreo, the WHO's family health chief.
The UN health agency had said last month that polluted air killed 3.7 million people under the age of 60 in 2012.
However, the report also cited positive examples, especially in South America.
In the Colombian capital Bogota, the air has become cleaner thanks to improvements in public transport and to policies that promote walking and cycling, it said.
The report was based on data from 1,600 cities in 91 countries covering the years 2008 to 2013.
DPA
