New Report Ranks Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa as Africa’s Most Polluted Countries

Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa have emerged as African countries with the highest levels of air pollution and illness burden. These three major countries are dealing with serious health repercussions from air pollution, which is compounding the continent’s climate change effects.

Greenpeace Africa and Greenpeace MENA prepared a report revealing this facts.

Titled: Major Air Polluters in Africa. The research, Unmasked, identifies key human sources of air pollution in Africa, with a focus on industrial and commercial sectors such as the fossil fuel industry.

Air pollution causes up to 1.1 million premature deaths in Africa each year.

Dr. Aidan Farrow, Senior Scientist at Greenpeace Research Laboratories, stated that in many African locations, the lack of air quality monitoring has masked the magnitude of pollution.

“However, there is ample evidence that African nations are facing a significant public health problem due to air pollution. “The primary causes of this crisis are air pollutant emitters,” he stated.

According to the analysis, Africa has some of the world’s worst nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide hotspots, which are mostly related to thermal power facilities.

Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa have continuously high illness loads, with the highest fatality rates attributed to fossil fuel air pollution in these countries.

Six of the world’s ten greatest NO2 emission hotspots have been identified in Africa, all of which are in South Africa. Two of the world’s ten greatest SO2 emission hotspots have been identified in South Africa.

Nine of Africa’s ten largest SO2 point sources are thermal power plants, with the remaining one tied to a Mali smelter. Eskom has four power stations in South Africa; two in Morocco and Egypt, and one in Zimbabwe.

According to health impact studies, meeting WHO recommendations for air quality could increase life expectancy in some African countries by up to three years.

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