Air Pollution, For the last twenty years, Africa’s growth has been accelerating. Before the coronavirus outbreak, the continent was on track to more than triple its population this century while making enormous gains in health. Life expectancy has been increasing and infant mortality declining, and deaths from communicable diseases, including malaria and AIDS, are on the decline.

However, even without the ongoing pandemic, the continent is facing challenges. Ambient air pollution is lower than in many other parts of the world but is already contributing to an increasing number of deaths, including from pneumonia, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, chronic lung disease, and lung cancer. The burning of fossil fuels – coal, oil and gas – to drive economic growth lies behind the increasing morbidity. But there is another way.

This is the main message of the study, “Air Pollution and Development in Africa: Impacts on Health, the Economy and Human Capital” which assesses the impacts of ambient air pollution on health and the economy in African countries, now and in the future. Using data from the World Health Organization and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, this report will help leaders of African countries understand the full health and economic implications of various pathways to economic growth and development.

First, the report looked at the contribution of air pollution to disease and death. As families across Africa move away from traditional biomass fuels such as wood and charcoal to liquefied petroleum gas and non-polluting renewables such as wind and solar, household air pollution is declining. But at the same time, industrialization and economic growth mean ambient pollution is increasing. In 2019, it was responsible for an estimated 383, 419 deaths across Africa.

The report also finds that ambient pollution caused by fossil fuels has clear economic downsides in countries like Ethiopia.