Wildfires, which scientists believe are becoming more frequent due to climate change, were a major driver of air pollution last year, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said in a report released on Friday.
According to the World Health Organization, ambient air pollution is responsible for 4.5 million premature deaths annually. The WMO’s 2024 report highlighted pollution hotspots in regions hit by severe wildfires, including the Amazon basin, Canada, Siberia and central Africa.
As global warming, largely fuelled by fossil fuel emissions, continues to reshape weather patterns, wildfires are spreading more widely and occurring more often. These fires add to the airborne particles already produced by burning coal, oil, gas and wood, alongside emissions from transport and agriculture.
“Wildfires are a significant source of particle pollution, and the problem is likely to worsen as the climate heats up, threatening infrastructure, ecosystems and human health,” the WMO warned.
Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett stressed: “Climate change and air quality cannot be dealt with separately. They must be tackled together if we are to safeguard our planet, our societies and our economies.”
Although the report focused on 2024, the WMO noted that record-breaking wildfires in southern Europe this year have also worsened pollution levels across the continent.
Still, there were some encouraging developments, with particle pollution in eastern China declining as a result of emission reduction measures.
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Kyrgyzstan is preparing to hold snap parliamentary elections on Sunday, 30 November 2025, after the Jogorku Kenesh (parliament) dissolved itself in September.
The Spanish agricultural sector has been placed on high alert following the confirmation that African Swine Fever (ASF) has resurfaced in the country for the first time in over thirty years.
The Japanese government is preparing to host a landmark summit with the leaders of the Central Asian states, expected to take place in Tokyo in December 2025.
The Kremlin is set to evaluate a new diplomatic proposal aimed at halting the hostilities in Ukraine, with high-level discussions involving a Washington envoy scheduled for the coming days in Moscow.
At least 47 people have died and another 21 are reported missing following ten days of heavy rainfall, floods, and landslides across Sri Lanka, local media reported on Thursday (27 November).
Hong Kong fire authorities said they expected to wrap up search and rescue operations on Friday after the city's worst fire in nearly 80 years tore through a massive apartment complex, killing at least 128 people, injuring 79 and leaving around 200 still missing.
A passenger aircraft from Polish carrier LOT veered off a taxiway at Lithuania's Vilnius airport after arriving from Warsaw on Wednesday, halting all traffic, the airport operator said.
Netflix crashed on Wednesday for about an hour in the U.S. as it launched season five of "Stranger Things", with the service becoming inaccessible to many subscribers within minutes of the episodes going live at 8 p.m. local time.
Thousands of Bulgarians took to the streets of Sofia on Wednesday to protest against the government’s draft budget for 2026, the first to be prepared in euros ahead of the country’s planned eurozone entry on 1 January 2026.
The Kremlin is set to evaluate a new diplomatic proposal aimed at halting the hostilities in Ukraine, with high-level discussions involving a Washington envoy scheduled for the coming days in Moscow.
The European Union’s high-stakes strategy to leverage hundreds of billions in frozen Russian capital to prop up Ukraine’s defence has hit a critical roadblock, with Belgium warning that the move could torpedo fragile diplomatic openings aimed at ending the conflict.
A simmering diplomatic feud between Washington and Pretoria has erupted into a full-scale crisis, with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa describing U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to ban South Africa from the 2026 G20 summit as "regrettable" and based on "misinformation."
Making his diplomatic debut in Türkiye, the first American Pope warned a "piecemeal" World War III endangers humanity. Leo XIV met President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the 1,700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed on Thursday (27 November), urging an end to global conflicts.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 28th of November, covering the latest developments you need to know.
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