Measured in terms of life expectancy, the AQLI reveals that ambient particulate pollution (PM2.5) is consistently the world’s greatest external risk to human health. While particulate pollution is set to reduce global average life expectancy by 1.9 years, smoking, for instance, reduces global life expectancy by about 1.7 years. Child and maternal malnutrition reduces life expectancy by about 1.4 years; alcohol use by 5 months; transportation injuries from vehicle accidents and unsafe water, sanitation and handwashing, 4.8 months; and HIV/AIDS, 3.4 months. Thus, the impact of particulate pollution on life expectancy is comparable to that of tobacco use, 1.3 times that of childhood and maternal malnutrition, 4.4 times that of high alcohol use, 5.8 times that of transport injuries like car crashes and unsafe water, and 6.7 times that of HIV/AIDS, 4.4 times that of alcohol use, 5.8 times that of transport injuries from vehicle accidents or unsafe water, sanitation and handwashing, 6.7 times that of HIV/AIDS, and 26.7 times that of nutritional deficiencies.
Meanwhile, the philanthropic pie for air pollution is unbalanced compared to the size of its burden in many parts of the world. While important issues like HIV/AIDS receive $654 million annually from philanthropic foundations worldwide, outdoor air pollution receives less than a tenth of that amount (41.3 million USD) despite its larger global health burden. In fact, the entire continent of Africa receives just $238,000 annually in philanthropic funds toward air pollution—far less than the average price of a single-family home in the United States. Just $825 thousand goes to Asia annually, outside of China and India. Europe, the United States, and Canada, meanwhile, receive $21.0 million annually, according to the Clean Air Fund. There is an outsized opportunity to reverse this inequality.