NAIROBI — The use of leaded petrol has been eradicated
from the globe, a milestone that will prevent more than 1.2 million premature
deaths and save world economies over $2.4 trillion annually, the UN Environment
Program (UNEP) said Monday.
اضافة اعلان
Nearly a century after doctors first issued warnings about
the toxic effects of leaded petrol, Algeria — the last country to use the fuel
— exhausted its supplies last month, the UNEP said, calling the news a landmark
win in the fight for cleaner air.
"The successful enforcement of the ban on leaded petrol
is a huge milestone for global health and our environment," said Inger
Andersen, executive director of the UNEP, which is headquartered in Nairobi.
Even as recently as two decades ago, more than 100 countries
around the world were still using leaded petrol, despite studies linking it to
premature deaths, poor health, and soil and air pollution.
Concerns were raised as early as 1924, when dozens of
workers were hospitalized and five declared dead after suffering convulsions at
a refinery run by US giant Standard Oil, nicknamed the "looney gas
building" by staff.
Nevertheless, until the 1970s almost all the gasoline sold
across the globe contained lead.
When the UNEP launched its campaign in 2002, many major
powers had already stopped using the fuel, including the United States, China,
and India. But the situation in lower-income nations remained dire.
Urgent action needed
By 2016, after North Korea, Myanmar, and Afghanistan stopped
selling leaded petrol, only a handful of countries were still operating service
stations providing the fuel, with Algeria finally following Iraq and Yemen in
ending its reliance on the pollutant.
The UNEP said in a statement that the eradication of leaded
petrol would "prevent more than 1.2 million premature deaths per year,
increase IQ points among children, save $2.44 trillion for the global economy,
and decrease crime rates".
It warned that fossil fuel use in general must still be
drastically reduced to stave off the frightening effects of climate change.
Vehicle sales are set to climb globally exponentially,
particularly in emerging markets.
"The transport sector is responsible for nearly a
quarter of energy-related global greenhouse gas emissions and is set to grow to
one third by 2050," the UNEP said, adding that 1.2 billion new vehicles
would hit the streets in the coming decades.
"This includes millions of poor-quality used vehicles
exported from Europe, the United States, and Japan, to mid and low-income
countries.
"This contributes to planet warming and air polluting
traffic and (is) bound to cause accidents," the global body said.
Earlier this month, a bombshell report by the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that Earth's average
temperature would be 1.5°C warmer around 2030 — a decade earlier than
projected, raising alarm bells about the use of fossil fuels.
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