The population is “dumbing down” thanks to air pollution.
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Business Insider reports that by the end of the century, indoor carbon dioxide levels could climb so high that they impair the human brain, cutting human performance on complex cognitive tasks by 50%, meaning people would find it more difficult to plan strategies, respond to a crisis or absorb new information.
Researchers did note that curbing carbon emissions from fossil fuels could help prevent these negative effects.
Children’s mental health is already being impacted by air pollution.
Around the world, 93% of children live in areas with air pollution at levels above World Health Organization guidelines. More than 1 in 4 deaths among children under 5 years is related to environmental risks, including air pollution. In 2016, outside and household air pollution contributed to respiratory tract infections that led to 543,000 deaths in children under 5.
Studies conducted at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital clearly showed the risks of air pollution to children’s mental health. Even short-term exposure to air pollution sent children to Cincinnati Children's emergency department for psychiatric issues, particularly for adjustment disorder and suicidal thoughts or actions.
Those same studies also showed that exposure to traffic-related air pollution caused depression and anxiety symptoms in 12 year olds.
When it comes to harmful particles in the air, the smaller the particle, the greater damage it can cause to your health, because it can easily pass deep into your lungs, causing damage to your heart and lungs, and impairing brain function.
Long-term exposure to particulate matter air pollution has been associated with significantly faster cognitive decline, including in measures of memory and attention span, in older adults.
The most effective way to improve your indoor air quality is to control or eliminate as many sources of pollution as you can first, and then use a high-quality air filter.
One way to decrease carbon dioxide levels is through regenerating soil or carbon farming — a process that builds up carbon in the soil and decreases carbon in the air.
Most conventional farmers and gardeners use commercial fertilizers such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. However, very little is done to address the need for carbon.
Carbon farming mimics nature and the carbon feeds microbes and helps retain moisture, allowing everything to grow much better, and provide far more nutrient-dense foods.
Regenerative agriculture, regenerative grazing, diversified crop development and restorative fishing are proof of how agriculture can help solve many serious environmental dilemmas.