Breathing is the most basic act of life for humans. Yet by the mid-21st century, even this simple act is becoming increasingly difficult.
In its 2022 report, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that "by 2030, the number of days each year when breathing becomes uncomfortable due to air pollution will increase by more than 60%."
In urban areas in particular, a "double pollution" phenomenon—when fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone (O₃) levels are both high—has been occurring more frequently.
Climate change worsens air quality. As global warming traps more heat and light at the Earth's surface, atmospheric ozone concentrations rise, while wildfires and drought accelerate the production of fine particulate matter.
As a result, humans are increasingly forced to endure both hot air and polluted air at the same time.
By the 2020s, some cities had already begun issuing "breathing alerts." On days when air quality deteriorated rapidly, people were banned from going outside, and emergency patients surged.
But this is only the beginning.
By 2050, such breathlessness may no longer be confined to a few bad days—it could become the everyday norm.
"A world where the simple act of breathing is no longer taken for granted."
We are standing right at the edge of that reality.