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Critical Topics and Their Significance for the UPSC CSE Examination on March 13, 2025

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World Air Quality Report for 2024

For Preliminary Examination:  Current events of national and international importance

For Mains Examination: GS III - Envvironment & ecology

Context:

NEW DELHI continues to be the world’s most polluted capital while Meghalaya’s Byrnihat is the world’s most polluted metropolitan area, according to the 2024 World Air Quality Report released

Read about:

What is PM 2.5?

What are the key initiatives taken by the Indian government to control air pollution?

Key takeaways:

Key Insights from the 2024 World Air Quality Report:

• Only 17% of cities worldwide met the WHO's air pollution standard.

• Seven nations adhered to the WHO's annual PM2.5 guideline of 5 µg/m³: Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Estonia, Grenada, Iceland, and New Zealand.

• The five most polluted countries in 2024 were:

  • Chad (91.8 µg/m³): Exceeding WHO’s PM2.5 annual guideline by over 18 times.
  • Bangladesh (78.0 µg/m³): More than 15 times above the WHO limit.
  • Pakistan (73.7 µg/m³): Surpassing the WHO guideline by over 14 times.
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo (58.2 µg/m³): Exceeding the limit by over 11 times.
  • India (50.6 µg/m³): More than 10 times higher than WHO’s recommended level.

• Out of 138 nations and territories, 126 (91.3%) exceeded the WHO’s annual PM2.5 standard of 5 µg/m³.

• Byrnihat, India, recorded the highest pollution levels globally in 2024, with an annual PM2.5 concentration of 128.2 µg/m³.

• The seven most polluted cities were all in Central and South Asia, with India accounting for six of the world's nine most polluted urban areas.

• Los Angeles, California, was the most polluted major city in the United States, while Ontario, California, ranked as the most polluted overall.