Air pollution costs Europe $1.6tn a year in early deaths and disease, say WHO

Costs of dirty air are equivalent to about a tenth of Europe’s GDP, with Germany, UK and Italy among the hardest hit economically

The financial cost of air pollution in Europe stands at more than $1.6tn (£1.5tn) a year, a study by the World Health Organisation (WHO) has found, equating to about a tenth of the GDP of the continent.

While air pollution has long been known to be a major environmental burden, the costs in human and economic terms have not been categorised before.

Continue reading...