Pollution in Indonesia shaving five years from life expectancy: Study

Indonesia's air quality has deteriorated from among the cleanest in the  world  to one of the most polluted over the past two decades, shaving five years from life expectancy in some  regions ,  researchers  say. The study by the  Energy Policy Institute  at the  University of Chicago  says an increase in coal-fired  power stations , burning of  land  for plantation agriculture and rising car ownership is responsible for the worsening pollution in the world's fourth-most populous country.The greatest spike happened in the last few years with air pollution more than doubling between 2013 and 2016, it said. The burden on public health has become one of the highest in the  world , behind only India,  China , Bangladesh and Pakistan."High air pollution is now undermining Indonesians' health," said  researchers  Michael Greenstone and Qing Fan. "In 1998, air pollution barely impacted the life expectancy of Indonesians. In fact, even in 2013, it shaved only a few months off of average life expectancy."According to the  researchers , sustained high concentrations of particulate matter in the air people breath will cut 2.3 years from lifespans in the  capital , Jakarta. On the  islands  of Sumatra and Borneo,  both  of which suffer  land  fires every year, the expected reduction in lifespans is four years on average. Continue reading at Devdiscourse...