In numbers.. How much does environmental pollution cost the economies of the countries of the Middle East and North Africa?

Washington-Sana

The World Bank revealed that environmental pollution costs the Middle East and North Africa about $141 billion annually, calling on countries in the region to make their economies “more environmentally friendly.”

And the French press agency quoted the bank as saying in a report, “The cost of air pollution, in addition to the pollution of the seas and coasts, is estimated at more than 3 percent of the GDP in some countries in the region, such as Egypt, Lebanon and Yemen. The levels of air pollution in major cities in the region are among the highest. In the world".

The Bank's report indicated that productivity would decline if the population were exposed to diseases due to air pollution, and this would cost governments and individuals a huge burden in health care costs.

According to the report, each person suffers about 60 days of illness annually as a result of air pollution, and in urban areas considered safe by the World Health Organization, the population breathes on average 10 times higher than the normal level of pollutants in the air, pointing out that the low environmental standards in the transport and industry sectors and weak environmental standards. The quality of the fuel used and the burning of waste are among the main causes of this pollution.

The report indicated that the Mediterranean Sea is one of the most plastic-polluted seas in the world, as each person in the region throws the equivalent of six kilograms of waste into its waters annually, which is also linked to coastal erosion, which threatens housing and livelihoods in those areas, especially among poor groups. .

He pointed out that the estimated direct cost of coastal erosion may reach 2.8 percent of the gross domestic product in some countries whose economy is based on tourism, such as Tunisia.

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