If you’re reading this from a city in a high-income country, you have about a one in two chance of breathing in air that exceeds World Health Organization guidelines for air pollution. That’s worrying enough, but if you live in a city in a low- or middle-income country, the chances of breathing in clean air are much slimmer still—97 per cent of cities in these countries do not meet air quality guidelines. Most of the global population is exposed without their consent to hazardous substances and wastes that increase their likelihood of developing diseases and disabilities throughout their lives. In some cases, it has the potential to be a human rights violation. It could be worse. For example, informal recyclers are people who collect and transform recyclable materials outside of the formal waste management system. They are one of the most forgotten demographics who tend to work with inadequate equipment in unhealthy and even dangerous conditions, and often face risks such as an unstable income and social exclusion. They are some of the people most at risk from the hazardous effects of pollution. The World Health Organization estimates that 23 per cent of all deaths worldwide—a total to 12.6 million people in 2012—are exposed to environmental risks. Low- and middle-income countries bear the brunt of pollution-related illnesses, with a disproportionate impact on children, women and the most vulnerable. Air pollution alone kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year. To view the full article visit UNenvironmental.org.
