The Guardian: Air pollution is the ‘new tobacco’, warns WHO head

Air pollution

[The Guardian] Air pollution is the “new tobacco”, the head of the World Health Organization has warned, saying the simple act of breathing is killing 7 million people a year and harming billions more.

Over 90% of the world’s population suffers toxic air and research is increasingly revealing the profound impacts on the health of people, especially children.

“The world has turned the corner on tobacco. Now it must do the same for the ‘new tobacco’ – the toxic air that billions breathe every day,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO’s director general. “No one, rich or poor, can escape air pollution. It is a silent public health emergency.”

“Despite this epidemic of needless, preventable deaths and disability, a smog of complacency pervades the planet,” Tedros said, in an article for the Guardian. “This is a defining moment and we must scale up action to urgently respond to this challenge.”

Read the full story on The Guardian


Hope in health care

We envision health care as a climate-smart, innovative sector that protects public health from climate change and accelerates the transition to a low-carbon economy while improving community resilience, health equity, and access to care.

To learn more about health care's role in mitigating the effects of air pollution and climate change, visit:

Our Climate and Health program page