An estimated 49,000 deaths in Beijing and Shanghai this year were caused by smog, say pollution trackers

Based on per capita measurement New Delhi bears the highest cost of air pollution, losing 25,000 lives and 5.8 per cent of GDP since January 1

Pollution dropped during Covid-19 lockdowns but environmental groups warn that efforts to restart the economy may be damaging

Reading Time:1 minute

Beijing has improved its air pollution but fears remain that plans to boost the post-Covid economy may be a retrograde step for the environment. Photo: AFP

Published: 4:24pm, 9 Jul 2020Updated: 10:33pm, 9 Jul 2020

Air pollution has caused an estimated 49,000 deaths and US$23 billion in economic losses in the cities of Beijing and Shanghai alone since January 1, 2020, according to a “clean air counter” launched by environmental groups on Thursday.

The online tool, launched by the Helsinki-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), Greenpeace Southeast Asia and IQAir AirVisual, measures smog in 28 major cities worldwide and uses models devised by the Global Burden of Disease research programme to estimate the health impact.

Higher levels of smog are associated with a wide range of diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, heart disease, stroke and lung cancer.

The economic impact was calculated by estimating factors such as work absences and years lost because of illness. Measured on a per capita basis, New Delhi in India suffered the most from pollution, losing an estimated 25,000 lives as well as 5.8 per cent of its total GDP since the start of the year.

According to the tracker, Shanghai saw an estimated 27,000 deaths from January 1, more than the 22,000 in Beijing, partly a reflection of the city’s higher population.

“This also highlights the fact that Shanghai’s pollution is now almost as bad as Beijing’s, as Beijing has improved a lot faster,” said Lauri Myllyvirta, CREA’s lead analyst.

According to official Chinese data, concentrations of small, hazardous airborne particles known as PM2.5 were higher in Beijing in the first half of the year than in Shanghai.

An estimated 49,000 deaths in Beijing and Shanghai this year were caused by smog, say pollution trackers

Based on per capita measurement New Delhi bears the highest cost of air pollution, losing 25,000 lives and 5.8 per cent of GDP since January 1 Pollution dropped during Covid-19 lockdowns but environmental groups warn that efforts to restart the economy may be damaging

Based on per capita measurement New Delhi bears the highest cost of air pollution, losing 25,000 lives and 5.8 per cent of GDP since January 1

Pollution dropped during Covid-19 lockdowns but environmental groups warn that efforts to restart the economy may be damaging