Cleaner air, healthier lives: tighter air pollution regulations across the Western Pacific could save 1.1 million lives

Every day across the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Region, millions of people breathe polluted air that threatens their health and their lives. But according to a report launched by the WHO Asia-Pacific Centre for Environment and Health in the Western Pacific Region (ACE), achieving WHO’s recommendations on air quality could help avert 1.1 million needless deaths in the Region.  

“The evidence is clear. Air pollution is an existential threat to people and communities in our Region, and tackling it requires urgent action now, using diverse and proven approaches. The WHO-modelled estimates in this report aim to help Member States reduce air pollution to achieve healthy air quality standards and save lives,” said WHO ACE Director, Dr Sandro Demaio, during the report launch event in Jeju, Republic of Korea. 

From densely populated cities affected by traffic congestion and industrial emissions, to communities exposed to smoke from coal burning, seasonal agricultural burning hazes, dust storms and household pollution, air pollution remains the leading environmental risk to health in the Region. 

With each passing year, air pollution increasingly contributes to ill health, including heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, asthma and other respiratory illnesses. This places a growing burden on health systems, economies and families, particularly affecting children, older persons, and people living with chronic diseases.

Smoke rises from agricultural land in Oudomxay Province in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. © WHO / Bart Verweij

A landmark report on air quality standards and health 

Air quality standards, which set limit to harmful pollutants detrimental to health, are an essential part of health-protective air quality management. The landmark WHO report Strengthening air quality standards to protect human health: an overview of the Western Pacific Region provides a comprehensive regional picture of how countries and areas across the Region are advancing on this front. The report is intended to serve as a benchmark to stimulate Member States in setting and enforcing national air quality standards and targets to protect health and well-being, and help track progress over time. 

While 99% of the Region’s population of 2.2 billion people lives in a jurisdiction with some form of air quality standards, the gap between local standards and WHO recommendations remains very high, leaving families, communities and societies exposed to bad air quality. 

Importantly, the report provides modelled estimates of the number of lives that could be saved across the Western Pacific Region if countries achieved the WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines for fine particulate matter, or PM_2.5. The findings underscore the enormous public health gains that can be achieved through stronger air quality action. 

Specifically, the report sets out five key actions:

1. Set or revise ambitious air quality standards that protect public health, supported by clear implementation and enforcement plans.
2. Develop standards for additional pollutants beyond traditionally regulated pollutants, including black carbon/elemental carbon.
3. Strengthen air quality monitoring systems to assess compliance with standards and support evidence-based action.
4. Promote synergies between climate change mitigation and air pollution reduction through Nationally Determined Contributions and National Adaptation Plans.
5. Strengthen the role of the health-care sector in advocating for stricter standards and accelerating action to address the adverse health effects of air pollution. 

Turning science into protection for people 

The report was launched during the Korean Society of Environmental Health (KSEH) Annual Conference in Jeju at a joint WHO ACE-KSEH session titled From science to policy to local action. 

Translating science into national standards is often complex. Countries must balance health protection with economic realities, technical capacity, monitoring systems and energy transitions, when implementing air quality standards. 

“The report shows that while progress has been made across the Western Pacific Region, stronger and more ambitious air quality standards are still needed to fully protect health. Continued enforcement and interventions in health-determining sectors such as energy, transport and urban development, along with strengthened monitoring and cross-sector collaboration are essential to achieve cleaner air and healthier populations,” highlighted Dr Enkhtsetseg Shinee, Coordinator of the Urban and Island Systems for the Healthy Environment unit at WHO ACE. 

Some countries – such as the Republic of Korea – have progressively tightened standards in line with WHO recommendations. 

“Air quality policy is fundamentally about protecting people’s health. It requires sustained action across sectors and levels of government. Through policies including the Seasonal Fine Dust Management System, expansion of electric mobility and strengthened air quality monitoring, the Republic of Korea continues to reduce exposure and protect public health. This delivers measurable improvements for people and communities,” emphasized Cho Hyun Soo, Director General of the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment.

Republic of Korea National Assembly building in Seoul. Air quality standards debated and adopted here are not just technical limits, they are public health protections that determine the acceptable level of air pollution for the country. © WHO / Josselyn Mothe

Supporting countries and cities with evidence and action: a health and climate opportunity 

WHO has a long tradition of working on air pollution and health, culminating with the update of the 2021 Air Quality Guidelines levels that set recommended level for key pollutants as well as interim targets. WHO Asia-Pacific Center for Health and the Environment in the Western Pacific Region (WHO ACE) has been working closely with Western Pacific Member States to strengthen air quality governance and action through better coordination between the health and the environment sectors; improving monitoring systems; assessing health impacts; improving health communication; and developing and reviewing air quality standards. 

Reducing air pollution and enforcing policies and standards result in immediate and long-term benefits. 

Policies that support cleaner energy, sustainable urban planning, less polluting transport systems and energy-efficient cities can simultaneously reduce climate emissions and prevent disease. For many countries in the Western Pacific, one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change – such policies are an important opportunity to advance health and climate goals together.

Songdo International Business District, Republic of Korea. Cities play a critical role in improving air quality through sustainable urban planning, cleaner transport systems and greener public spaces. © WHO / Yoshi Shimizu

“Quite simply, cleaner air means fewer hospital admissions, healthier children and families, stronger communities and – not surprisingly – longer lives,” said Josselyn Mothe, Technical Officer at WHO ACE, when presenting the report at the launch event. “Even small reductions in pollution exposure can lead to measurable health gains for millions of people, not only in terms of lives saved, but also from better health and well-being across the life-course. This is the real significance of the WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines.” 

About the WHO Asia-Pacific Centre for Environment and Health in the Western Pacific Region (ACE) 

WHO ACE is a specialized geographically dispersed office and a division of the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office. Established in 2019 and hosted in Seoul, Republic of Korea, its mission is to drive collaborative action at the intersection of climate, environment and human health. 

The Centre focuses on three main pillars:

• Climate-resilient health ystems: Helping vulnerable countries adapt to climate impacts while reducing emissions within the health sector.
• Healthy Urban and Island Systems: Promoting cleaner air, safer water and resilient living environments, particularly for vulnerable Small Island Developing States.
• Sustainable Food Systems: Advancing nutrition alongside environmental sustainability. 

Explore their current initiatives and the 2025–2030 strategic plan on the WHO ACE portal.