How much does air pollution cost?

This is revealed by a Greenpeace report, according to which every year 3,3% of the GDP is burned due to the combustion of coal, oil and gas.

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POLLUTION EFFECTS ON THE ECONOMY

HOW MUCH DOES AIR POLLUTION COST?

Several studies estimate the economic damage, including in terms of national healthcare spending, of air pollution. According to a study by the European Environment Agency (EEA), the social and economic costs range between €277 and €433 billion, or between 2 and 3 percent of European GDP. Among the countries contributing most to this figure are Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, and Spain.

WHICH ARE THE MOST POLLUTING SECTORS?

As for the territorial division, the damage caused by pollution, and in particular by greenhouse gas emissions, is caused by energy consumption (77 percent), agriculture (10,55 percent), industrial processes (9 percent) and waste management (3,5 percent).

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The cost of air pollution according to Greenpeace

According to the report 'Toxic Air: The Cost of Fossil Fuels' by Greenpeace Every year, the burning of coal, oil and gas destroys 3,3% of global GDP ($2900 trillion a year), or $8 billion a day.

Specifically, this form of pollution, according to the NGO, causes approximately 1,8 billion days of absence from work per disease per year, to which are added the deaths, which inevitably contribute to ahuge economic lossSuffice it to say that, according to the report's calculations, unhealthy air causes 4,5 million premature deaths every year. A huge number that is also confirmed in Italy, where every twelve months well over 100,000 people lose their lives 56mila people.

SMOG COST

Greenpeace also warns about future prospects. In many countries, in fact, instead of focusing entirely on renewable energy and transport systems that rely on clean energy, the transport and fossil fuel industries continue to invest in outdated technologiesA choice that our health and our communities pay dearly for. In this regard, according to Federico Spadini, of the Greenpeace Italy Transport Campaign, “it is essential that the Italian government does not backtrack on the abandonment of coal by 2025, as the latest version of the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC) would seem to suggest”.

POLLUTION AGENDA 2030

Moving away from the burning of coal, oil and gas in favour of renewable and low-impact energy would not only reduce air pollution but also play a central role in keeping global temperature increases within the threshold of 1,5 degrees centigrade compared to pre-industrial levels, as predicted by theUN Agenda 2030. All objectives that would allow for fewer deaths, fewer costs for public health, fewer natural disasters and therefore a more just and safe Planet as well as amost prosperous world economy.

THE SMALL AND BIG BATTLES TO SAVE THE PLANET

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