Air pollution caused by fires is linked to over 1.5 million deaths every year worldwide, with the majority occurring in developing countries, according to a major new study published this Thursday.
According to the study published in The Lancet journal, this number is expected to rise in the coming years due to climate change, which is increasing the frequency and intensity of wildfires.
Sinuri ng pandaigdigang pangkat ng mga mananaliksik ang umiiral na datos tungkol sa "landscape fires," na kinabibilangan ng mga wildfire na sumasabog sa kalikasan at mga planadong sunog tulad ng controlled burns sa mga lupang sakahan.
Ayon sa pag-aaral, humigit-kumulang 450,000 pagkamatay taun-taon mula sa sakit sa puso ang nauugnay sa polusyon sa hangin na dulot ng mga sunog mula 2000 hanggang 2019. Karagdagan pa rito, 220,000 pagkamatay mula sa mga sakit sa paghinga ang idinulot ng usok at mga particulate na ibinubuga ng mga sunog.
In total, 1.53 million deaths annually worldwide are linked to air pollution from landscape fires, according to the study.
The countries with the highest number of deaths are China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Indonesia, and Nigeria.
Ang mga bansang may pinakamataas na bilang ng pagkamatay ay ang China, Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Indonesia, at Nigeria.
In northern India, illegal land clearing fires are linked to the toxic smoke choking the capital, New Delhi, in recent days.
Call for Urgent Action
Nanawagan ang mga may-akda ng pag-aaral sa The Lancet para sa "agarang aksyon" upang tugunan ang mataas na bilang ng pagkamatay na dulot ng landscape fires.
The study also highlighted the significant disparity in the impact of fires between wealthy and poor countries, emphasizing "climate injustice," where countries with the least contribution to global warming are the most affected by it.
According to the researchers, methods to avoid smoke from fires—such as evacuating the area, using air purifiers and masks, or staying indoors—are often not accessible to people in poorer countries.
Thus, they have called for increased financial and technological support for the countries most affected by landscape fires.
The study was released a week after the UN climate talks, where delegates agreed to increase climate funding. However, developing countries criticized the funding as insufficient.
The report also comes after Ecuador declared a national emergency due to wildfires that destroyed more than 10,000 hectares in the southern part of the country.
Meanwhile, the world continues to be battered by storms, droughts, floods, and other extreme weather events, in what is expected to be the hottest year on record.
