New study warns of increasing cost of air pollution

World Today

A new warning about air pollution comes out of a study by the World Bank, which said dirty air is costing the world more than $5 trillion annually, severely impeding economic growth in many developing countries.

CCTV America’s Roee Ruttenberg reports.

The new study by the World Bank uses 2013 figures previously put out by the World Health Organization, which showed that air pollution prematurely kills 5.5 million people each year. That makes it the 4th leading cause of premature death.

The World Bank calculates that even without taking into account the medical cost of treating those people when they are sick, their illnesses can cost the global economy nearly a quarter of a trillion dollars in lost work days. And when economists factor in the cost of welfare – based on what people were paying to avoid dying from air pollution – they get the $5 trillion figure.

What’s more, the report also said excessive levels of smog are taking an especially high toll on developing countries.