Environmental, Health and Socio-Economic Impacts of Air Pollution in Mexico

Dear Colleagues,

Environmental air pollution and, in general terms, environmental exposures, year after year, are associated with high mortality and morbidity, especially in the susceptible and vulnerable population. There are sources of exposure so common that they lead to the misleading idea that they should not be causing problems in the environment or in people's health. Revealing the effect that common exposures have on the environment and on the health of populations, as well as designing educational strategies to transmit the message of the damage they cause to the environment and to general health, is one of the most relevant tasks of our time for all researchers working on the effects of environmental pollution on people's lives.

It is impossible to understand our life today without the use of electricity or the use of the internet or cell phones, but every day there is more evidence of the damage they cause to the environment and the health of populations.

It has been heard that the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic had a significant effect in different parts of the world on the levels of contamination and, therefore, in relation to the diseases related to them. It is important to invite the scientific community to provide evidence of the effect that the reduction of mobility and the reduction of environmental pollutants brought about on the health and consumption of our populations. This pandemic undoubtedly showed that it is possible to lower mobility and that it is possible to lower the consumption of many goods, so it becomes very important to evaluate the effect that this produced in the environment of the nations.

Air pollution is recognized as a serious sustainability concern and it is directly linked to many of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Exposure to ambient air pollution is reckoned as a main environmental health risk. In developing countries like Mexico, exposure to air pollution is associated with higher mortality and morbidity rates, especially in the most vulnerable sectors of society. The health impacts attributable to air pollution have been estimated to cost 1% of the global GDP (around USD 2.6 trillion annually) and are expected to increase as a result of the interactions between air pollution and climate change.

In the past, researchers were mostly concern with quantifying the effects of the implemented measures to improve air quality. However, the complexity of air pollution, particularly in urban environments, requires conducting research focused not only on examining health impacts of air pollution, but also on addressing disparities in the access to clean energy services, waste management and other aspects of socio-economic development.

The overall focus of this Special Issue is to provide environmental, health and socio-economic evidence on the consequences of outdoor air pollution in Mexico to better inform strategies to improve air quality in the context of sustainable development goals. The purpose of this research collection is to add information on (but not only on):

• Synergies between climate change and air pollution;
• Effects of air pollution on health;
• Air pollution and environmental justice;
• Forest fires and air pollution;
• Agriculture and air pollution effects on health;
• Agriculture and climate change effects on socio-economic development;
• Epidemics, climate change and sustainability.

Dr. Elizabeth Vega
Prof. Dr. Juan Manuel Mejia-Arangure
Dr. Yosune Miquelajauregui
Dr. Diana Meza-Figueroa
Guest Editors

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• air pollution
• environmental health
• climate change
• SARS-CoV-2 pandemic
• policy
• public health
• cancer
• children
• early
• gas emission