In Australia, we take clean air for granted but, globally clean air is becoming a scarce commodity due to the continued growth in the uptake of polluting forms of energy. Last year, Chinese multimillionaire Chen Guangbiao made headlines across the world when he sold 10 million cans of 'fresh air' in 10 days for 80 cents each as pollution levels climbed to record highs. His effort was tongue in cheek, to advocate for better air quality, with proceeds going to poor regions. Air pollution (indoor and outdoor) killed some seven million people worldwide in 2012, making it humankinds largest single environmental health risk, according to the UN World Health Organization (WHO). In particular, WHO regards air pollution as the cause of one in eight deaths globally, revealing a stronger link between poor air quality and cardiovascular diseases such as strokes and ischaemic heart disease, as well as between air pollution and cancer. News out of China regularly highlights the plight of its citizens and businesses from the air quality deterioration the country is experiencing - a result of 30 years of unchecked growth.
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