Air Pollution Threatens Ghana's Food Supply and, Driving Down Dangerous Vehicle Emissions

Picture this: you’re driving down a busy street, surrounded by cars, buses, and trucks. Have you ever stopped to think what’s in the air you’re breathing ?  The World Health Organization says more than seven million people around the world die each year from air pollution. In Ghana seventy percent of air pollutants come from vehicle emissions. In this episode we look more closely at what’s driving those emissions, how they’re hurting the economy and what can be done to cut them.Also, we’ve spent a lot of time looking at the more obvious impacts of air pollution - on our health and on our climate. But in Winifred's reporting we found air pollution was posing a major threat in an unexpected place: our food supply. The World Bank predicts the yield of Ghana’s staple food – the yam - will drop by nearly 70 percent by 2080 because of climate change and air pollution. Maize and rice yields will drop by up to 25 percent by 2050 in most regions of Ghana. That will increase the price of food and food insecurity. Clean Air Report Ghana is a collaboration between New Narratives and leading Ghanaian newsrooms. Funding is provided by the Clean Air Fund which had no say in the reporting.