Overview

• Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from 1980 to 2020 is linked to 135 million premature deaths worldwide.
• Climate phenomena like El Niño and the Indian Ocean Dipole worsened pollution, increasing deaths by 14%.
• Asia experienced the highest number of PM2.5-related premature deaths, with over 98 million fatalities.
• A third of these deaths were due to stroke, another third to ischemic heart disease, and the rest to respiratory diseases and lung cancer.
• The study underscores the need for air quality strategies that consider health impacts and climate patterns.