Different Air Under One Sky: The Inequity Air Research

This report was published by Greenpeace, India, on September 2, 2022. It was written by Yung-Jen Chen, Aidan Farrow and Jiao Wang, researchers associated with Greenpeace with contributions from Miao-Jung Chien, Joy Chiang and Lee Kuen Tan. Recent research estimates air pollution to have overwhelming health risks which contribute to around 4-9 million premature deaths across the globe every year. The countries most affected fall into the low and middle-income categories. This report focuses on the harmful effects of small particulate matter, particularly PM2.5 (particulate matter 2.5 micrometres or smaller). It identifies three especially vulnerable groups (infants, pregnant people and older adults) across seven surveyed countries and records how unequal access to resources and unequal levels of exposure indicate a barrier to achieving full human rights for all people. The 69-page report covers seven countries in separate sections: India (Section 1); Malaysia (Section 2); Thailand (Section 3); Philippines (Section 4); Indonesia (Section 5); Türkiye (Section 6); and South Africa (Section 7).