A study by scientists at NTU Singapore has found that implementing robust air pollution control measures could mean Southeast Asian countries prevent as many as 36,000 ozone-related premature deaths each year by 2050.
Ozone-related premature deaths refer to fatalities caused by prolonged exposure to harmful ground-level ozone. The pollutant worsens asthma, heart disease, and other chronic conditions - particularly among the elderly and vulnerable groups.
Drawing on pollution data from international databases tracking emission sources, the NTU research team employed detailed atmospheric models to understand how ozone concentrations might evolve under different pollution scenarios by 2050.
Researchers then estimated the potential number of premature deaths from prolonged ozone exposure by combining the pollution levels with health risk models, population data, and disease mortality rates.
Under a business-as-usual scenario their model predicts that by 2050, annual ozone-related deaths in Southeast Asia could drop by 22,000 due to planned NOx cuts from power plants, factories, and transport, especially in Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand.
If countries went greener and followed a scenario of stringent emission reduction measures, Southeast Asia could avoid up to 36,000 annual ozone-related premature deaths by 2050.
