The Air Crisis by University of the Arts London

Goal 11 of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development is to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. This project starts with UN Goal 11 and focuses on Indicator 11.6.2: Annual average levels (population weighted) of fine particulate matter (e.g. PM2.5 and PM10) in cities.

It is estimated that in 2016, ambient (outdoor) air pollution in urban and rural areas caused 4.2 million premature deaths globally each year; such deaths are due to exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) of 2.5 microns or less in diameter, leading to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and cancer. Government departments should be concerned about the air quality problems caused by fine particulate matter.

The first poster visualises the number of Asian countries where the annual average value of fine particulate matter exceeded the world annual average in 2016 for 47 countries (excluding Palestine), with 20 countries in Asia having annual average values of fine particulate matter higher than the world. The second poster shows the average annual average fine particulate matter levels for 47 Asian countries between 2011 and 2016. The visual representation of the project was inspired by chimneys, which are a major source of fine particulate matter pollution.