Ambitious climate action to improve global air quality could save up to 1.32 million lives per year by 2040, according to a new study.

Researchers from CU Boulder and Cardiff University in the United Kingdom have found that developing countries, especially, rely on international action to improve air quality, because much of their pollution comes from outside their borders.

The new study, published in Nature Communications, analyzed cross-border pollution “exchanges” for 168 countries and revealed that if countries do not collaborate effectively on climate policy, it could lead to greater health inequality for poorer nations that have less control over their own air quality.

The team’s work focuses on the impact of exposure to fine particulate matter, what scientists call “PM2.5,” which is the leading environmental risk factor for premature deaths globally.

“Some climate policies could inadvertently make air pollution inequalities worse, specifically for developing nations that might rely heavily on their neighbors for clean air,” said Daven Henze, senior author of the new study and professor at the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering at CU Boulder.

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