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🇩🇰 Denmark /Disasters & Emergencies

Wildfires Could Undermine Efforts to Improve Air Quality

From Berlingske · () Danish

Translated from Danish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire From a news agency Context piece
  • The World Meteorological Organization says rising pollution from wildfires and heatwaves could undermine international efforts to improve global air quality.
  • A study cited in its report found that extreme wildfire-smoke events worldwide have tripled since the 1990s.
  • The organization estimates the increase may have contributed to about 100,000 additional deaths annually from 2010 through 2018, while warning that figure may be an underestimate.

Rising pollution from wildfires and heatwaves threatens to undermine international efforts to improve air quality, the World Meteorological Organization says.

In its latest report on air quality and climate, the United Nations agency warned that the number of extreme wildfires is increasing. The toxicity of the smoke carries major health consequences, it said.

The number of extreme wildfires is increasing, and this has major health consequences because of the toxicity of the smoke.

· World Meteorological OrganizationThe UN agency’s warning about the health effects of increasingly frequent extreme wildfires.

One study cited in the report found that extreme wildfire-smoke events worldwide have tripled since the 1990s. The organization estimates that the increase may have contributed to about 100,000 additional deaths each year between 2010 and 2018.

“That may well be an underestimate,” the organization said.

That may well be an underestimate.

· World Meteorological OrganizationThe organization’s qualification of its estimate of wildfire-smoke-related deaths.
About this summary

Originally published by Berlingske in Danish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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