In the News
February 15, 2019
China could raise average life expectancy by 2.9 years if it improves air quality to levels recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO), according a new study from a US research group, reported Reuters.
According to the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC), big air quality improvements made in the last five years have already been enough to push up average lifespans. Air quality improvements made in the smog-prone northern city of Tianjin over the last five years are already expected to have raised the average lifespan of its 13m residents by 1.2 years.
China has vowed to determine the precise impact of air and water pollution on health as part of its efforts to raise the average life expectancy to 79 years by 2030 from 76.3 years in 2015.
China cut average concentrations of hazardous particles known as PM2.5 to an average of 39 micrograms per cubic metre last year, down 9.3% from 2017 after a campaign to curb coal use and improve industry and vehicle standards. However, average emission levels remain significantly higher than China’s own 35-microgram standard, as well as the 10-microgram limit recommended by the WHO. In northern industrial regions, average concentrations are much higher.