Forest fires, which have become more frequent due to climate change, have contributed significantly to air pollution last year. This is according to a report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), quoted by “Reuters“, reports News.bg.
The World Health Organization estimates that air pollution causes about 4.5 million premature deaths annually. According to the WMO, the most affected regions for 2024 are the Amazon, Canada, Siberia and Central Africa, which experienced large-scale fires.
Climate change, mainly caused by the burning of fossil fuels, is changing weather patterns and making forest fires more frequent and widespread. They add new amounts of fine particulate matter to those from transport, agriculture and the burning of coal, oil, gas and wood.
“Forest fires are a major contributor to particulate pollution and the problem will worsen as temperatures rise,“ said WMO Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett. Climate change and air quality must be addressed together to protect people, economies and ecosystems.
The report also said that record fires in southern Europe this year had affected pollution across the continent. Meanwhile, eastern China has seen an improvement thanks to targeted pollution control measures.