Urgent action critical to mitigate risks of air pollution
Air pollution is worsening at an alarming rate, prompting a need for changes in awareness, behaviours and collective actions for everyone’s benefit, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). On average, a Vietnamese person dies of a respiratory disease due to exposure to air pollution every 7.5 seconds.
A report on the state of the environment in Việt Nam, released by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) in 2023, also underlined that air pollution, especially PM2.5, is having adverse consequences on human health globally, including Việt Nam.
Specifically and most pressing, Việt Nam needs measures to limit exposure to pollutants and protect high-risk groups. In the medium and long term, it is necessary to address the root causes, which in this case are pollution sources including fossil fuels, vehicle emissions and straw burning after harvests.
