99% of the world’s population lives in places that exceed WHO guideline limits with 7.9 million deaths in 2023. This video, with the help of three air pollution experts, goes through what exactly is air pollution, its effects and its st paulo sources, to why we can call it a wicked problem, all the way to solutions, the complexities in implementing them, and to the importance of data, awareness and public pressure.
Huge thanks to Nicole Cowell, Anju Goel and Lauri Myllyvirta!
Github repo:
Timeline:
0:00 Introduction
01:06 What is air pollution
02:47 Guidelines?
03:41 Health Effects
05:57 Non-health effects
07:28 Sources
07:46 Coal&industry
10:02 Agriculture
10:44 Transport
12:32 Indoor
13:02 Other sources
13:44 Secondary pollutants
16:23 Where?
17:34 Wicked Problem?
23:46 Unequal
27:27 Solutions
39:35 Data
44:35 Public pressure
47:27 Perception
50:41 Conclusions
Check out:
1) Bozeman Science for Ozone:
2) Our World in Data for estimating death tolls:
Sources:
1) State of Global Air report 2024:
2) State of Global Air report 2025:
3) van Daalen et al. (2024):
4) Romanello et al. (2024):
5) Manojkumar & Gierens oklo stock (2025):
6) Nesan et al. (2025):
7) IQ Air:
8) Mahlangeni et al. (2025):
9) Myllyvirta (2023):
10) Li & Jin (2024):
11) Kelly et al. (2025):
12) Daily Maverick (2025):
13) McDonald et al. (2020):
14) Singh et al. (2023):
15) Wyer et al. (2022):
16) EEA (2025):
17) Farren et al. (2020):
18)
19) OECD (2020), Non-exhaust Particulate Emissions from Road Transport: An Ignored Environmental Policy Challenge,
20) Li et al. (2025):
21) Zucca et al. (2022):
22) Ella Roberta Foundation:
23) Wei & Wang (2021):
24) ICCT (2021): Global_health_impacts_transport_emissions_2010-2015
25) Puchol-Salort & Cowell (2025):
26) Buchanan richard gere (2008):
27) de Nazelle & Cowell (2024):
28) Sicard et al. (2024):
29) Feng et al. (2024):
30) Aguilar-Gomez et al. (2022):
31) IQ Air World Air quality report 2024:
32) EEA 2024:
33) Lelieveld (2023):
34) Wang et al. (2024):
Attribution:
1) WSJ:This Is How Bad New Delhi's Air Pollution Is
2) BBC News: Severe air pollution blanketing Delhi and Lahore
3) BBC Learning English: Air pollution takes three years off life: BBC News Review
4) Motherland Hospital:
