TY - JOUR
T1 - Consumption in the G20 nations causes particulate air pollution resulting in two million premature deaths annually
AU - Nansai, Keisuke
AU - Tohno, Susumu
AU - Chatani, Satoru
AU - Kanemoto, Keiichiro
AU - Kagawa, Shigemi
AU - Kondo, Yasushi
AU - Takayanagi, Wataru
AU - Lenzen, Manfred
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid for Research (No. 16H01797) from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and by a Fund for the Promotion of Joint International Research (Fostering Joint International Research (A)) of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (No. 18KK0322). We are also grateful to Nigel Harle of Gronsveld, the Netherlands, for his conscientious improvement of our English.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s).
PY - 2021/12/1
Y1 - 2021/12/1
N2 - Worldwide exposure to ambient PM2.5 causes over 4 million premature deaths annually. As most of these deaths are in developing countries, without internationally coordinated efforts this polarized situation will continue. As yet, however, no studies have quantified nation-to-nation consumer responsibility for global mortality due to both primary and secondary PM2.5 particles. Here we quantify the global footprint of PM2.5-driven premature deaths for the 19 G20 nations in a position to lead such efforts. G20 consumption in 2010 was responsible for 1.983 [95% Confidence Interval: 1.685–2.285] million premature deaths, at an average age of 67, including 78.6 [71.5–84.8] thousand infant deaths, implying that the G20 lifetime consumption of about 28 [24–33] people claims one life. Our results indicate that G20 nations should take responsibility for their footprint rather than focusing solely on transboundary air pollution, as this would expand opportunities for reducing PM2.5-driven premature mortality. Given the infant mortality footprint identified, it would moreover contribute to ensuring infant lives are not unfairly left behind in countries like South Africa, which have a weak relationship with G20 nations.
AB - Worldwide exposure to ambient PM2.5 causes over 4 million premature deaths annually. As most of these deaths are in developing countries, without internationally coordinated efforts this polarized situation will continue. As yet, however, no studies have quantified nation-to-nation consumer responsibility for global mortality due to both primary and secondary PM2.5 particles. Here we quantify the global footprint of PM2.5-driven premature deaths for the 19 G20 nations in a position to lead such efforts. G20 consumption in 2010 was responsible for 1.983 [95% Confidence Interval: 1.685–2.285] million premature deaths, at an average age of 67, including 78.6 [71.5–84.8] thousand infant deaths, implying that the G20 lifetime consumption of about 28 [24–33] people claims one life. Our results indicate that G20 nations should take responsibility for their footprint rather than focusing solely on transboundary air pollution, as this would expand opportunities for reducing PM2.5-driven premature mortality. Given the infant mortality footprint identified, it would moreover contribute to ensuring infant lives are not unfairly left behind in countries like South Africa, which have a weak relationship with G20 nations.
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U2 - 10.1038/s41467-021-26348-y
DO - 10.1038/s41467-021-26348-y
M3 - Article
C2 - 34728619
AN - SCOPUS:85118472390
SN - 2041-1723
VL - 12
JO - Nature Communications
JF - Nature Communications
IS - 1
M1 - 6286
ER -
