In a comprehensive study examining the air quality of 143 countries and 7,812 cities worldwide, Israel has been positioned in the 56th spot on the Global Air Pollution Index. This study was conducted by the Swiss organization IQAir in collaboration with Greenpeace's international research division. The World Health Organization identifies air pollution as the most significant environmental risk to public health.
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According to this index, Israel sits just behind South Africa, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Peru, Chile and the Palestinian Authority, indicating only 55 countries have worse levels of pollution than the Jewish state. Comparatively, countries such as Greece, Albania, Ivory Coast, Moldova, Romania, the Maldives and Italy have marginally better air quality than Israel.
The most polluted country, as per the index, is Bangladesh, with Pakistan, India, Tajikistan, Burkina Faso, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Nepal, Egypt and the Democratic Republic of Congo all in close succession. On the flip side, the cleanest air can be found in countries like Iceland, New Zealand, Australia, Finland, Estonia, Sweden, Costa Rica, Norway, Ireland and Portugal.
Zooming into the urban scale, 99 out of the 100 cities with the poorest air quality are located in Asia, with 83 of these within India, though the city bearing the unfortunate title of "most polluted" is Begusarai, a city in India of about half a million people, whose air quality has been described as "hazardous." Guwahati and New Delhi, also in India, are placed second and third, respectively.
On a more domestic front
When it comes to Israel's individual cities, Tel Aviv is positioned 1,267th on the global list of polluted cities. Jerusalem fares better, standing at 1,633rd place. Haifa, however, surpasses both of these major cities, ranking 1,712th globally in terms of the average concentration of very fine breathable particles (2.5PM)
The Global Air Pollution Index has revealed some noteworthy rankings for major cities worldwide. New York City, for instance, holds a fairly decent ranking at 2,627th, while London sits at a lower 4,830th. Moscow and Paris are close competitors, with Moscow ranking at 3,256th and Paris at 3,299th. Beijing, China, has a noticeably higher pollution level, holding the 454th spot. It's worth noting that the report lacks data from Iran, a country notorious for its high pollution levels.
On a somewhat healthier note, Kuusamo, a Finnish city nestled right on the Russian border, has been crowned the least polluted city in the world according to the report. In fact, the two runner-up positions for the cleanest cities are also held by the Finns, namely Utsjoki and Sodankylae respectively.
Dr. Jonathan Aikhenbaum, Greenpeace Israel's director, provided some insights on Israel's standing in the report. He stressed that the IQAIR report "underscores Israel's need to further reduce its particle pollution for the significant betterment of public health and work efficiency. Israel's average concentration of very fine breathable particles (2.5PM) stands at 17.8μg per cubic meter of air. This figure surpasses the World Health Organization's recommendation of 5 μg per cubic meter by a staggering 3.5 times, indicating a clear room for improvement."
Dr. Aikhenbaum summarized his perspective. "While Israel's present policy on pollution control is not without direction, it's unfortunately moving in the wrong way. The country continues to burn highly polluting coal at old power stations in Hadera and Ashkelon, alongside gas and diesel at numerous gas stations, some of which contribute significantly to air pollution.
"Simultaneously, support for electric vehicles is being dampened by increased taxation. The only sustainable solution to improve Israel's air quality is a steadfast commitment to transition from polluting fuels to renewable energy and energy efficiency. This not only improves the environment but also bolsters our energy security."