Air pollution; fourth threatening factor for human health

The International Energy Agency in an analysis about air quality that has been published on Monday, the seventh of July, in a report entitled "World Energy Outlook" is discussed the relationship between power, air pollution, and health. Energy Agency says the investment increasing in technology and current energy policies, air pollution - reduce by half the fourth the risk for human health - by 2040. Every year around six million and 500 thousand deaths in the world occur in relation to air pollution and this figure will increase dramatically in the coming decades unless effective steps are done to reduce pollutants. Air pollution problem is felt around the world, especially in poor communities. No country is safe from the risk of air pollution. About 80 percent of the world's urban population breathes air that in the terms of quality is lower than the standards established by the World Health Organization. This agency has predicted that early deaths due to outdoor air pollution, from three million people in a year at now reaches to four and a half million people in 2040 and most of these deaths will occur in developing countries in Asia. While, the early deaths due to indoor air pollution in the same period will be reduced to three million people from the current three and a half million, although much of these deaths are been attributed to poverty and lack of access to modern sources of energy mortality. This report has been specified the ways which the energy sector can help to reduce the air pollution through them. According to the International Energy Agency, the air pollution is the fourth largest threat to human health after high blood pressure, poor diet, and smoking. According to this report, energy production and consumption is the reason of 85 percent of air pollution, while nearly all of the produced sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are from fossil energy. Meanwhile, this agency says millions tons of pollutants enter into the atmosphere from cars, power plants etc., while still two billion and 700 million people are related to fuels such as wood, charcoal and other biomass for personal matters, such as cooking. This report has pointed to the global commitments about air pollution rate reduction until 2040 and says the reduction of pollutants amount are not enough and only by seven percent investments increase in the energy sector, we can significantly changed this situation. This report says the number of users from wood, coal, biomass and other fuels can be reduced to one billion and 800 thousand people by 2040. About fuel consumption outside the home, a policy can be considered that deaths fall to a million and 700 thousand people a year.