CAMS classifies Lahore among cities with extremely poor ozone levels — Dawn
The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) has classified Lahore, Pakistan, among cities with “extremely poor” ground-level ozone indicators. New Delhi, Dhaka and the Chinese megacity of Chongqing were also placed in this category. Dawn reports on the analysis results.
Impact of heat and fires
According to CAMS, from January 1 to September 15, 34% of the world’s population was exposed to air with “extremely poor” ozone levels, substantially exceeding World Health Organization recommendations. Another 17% of people breathed air with “very poor” indicators, while only 5% of the population lived in conditions with a “good” ozone level.
Ground-level ozone forms when heat and sunlight interact with emissions from wildfires, transport and industry. Unlike ozone in the stratosphere, which protects life from harmful ultraviolet radiation, ozone near the Earth’s surface harms human health, ecosystems and agricultural crop yields.
Highest levels in Asia
In Asia, 53% of the population was exposed to “extremely poor” ozone levels, while another 22% was exposed to “very poor” levels. CAMS links widespread emissions in the region to industrialization, economic development and transport, as well as fires and the burning of agricultural residues.
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This year’s pollution was partly caused by record heat waves and wildfires in Europe and North America, whose smoke spread far beyond the areas where they originated. Major fires also occurred in Indonesia, while warming linked to the El Niño phenomenon may contribute to new fires in Southeast Asia.
Pollution knows no borders
CAMS Director Laurence Rouil noted that air pollution can travel thousands of kilometers, cross continents and oceans, and affect air quality far from the source of emissions. CAMS tracks atmospheric pollution and fires using satellite data and computer modeling.
WHO recommendations state that the eight-hour average ozone concentration should not exceed 100 micrograms per cubic meter. In North America, two-thirds of the population, and in Europe, 45% of people, were exposed to air with “poor” or “very poor” ozone-quality levels.
