Air quality across the globe continues to deteriorate due to increasing emissions, threatening human health and contributing to climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste.

According to the World Health Organization, 99 per cent of the global population breathes unclean air, and air pollution causes 7 million premature deaths a year. PM2.5, which refers to particulate matter with a diameter equal to or less than 2.5 micrometres, poses the greatest health threat and is often used as a metric in legal air quality standards. When inhaled, PM2.5 is absorbed deep into the bloodstream and linked to illnesses such as stroke, heart disease, lung disease and cancer.

To address this air pollution crisis, experts warn that governments must take urgent action to strengthen air quality regulation, including monitoring capacity to track PM2.5 and other pollutants.