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Air pollution caused 2.9 million deaths in China alone in 2005, according to a recent study by MIT.

The study Health Damages from Air Pollution in China estimates that the cost of damage to human health from air pollution in China grew from around 6% to 9% of GDP between 1995 and 2005, when they totalled US$112 billion. The costs of air pollutants such as particulate matter, which can cause health effects including chronic bronchitis and congestive heart failure, are hitting economies today.

That's why countries including China, India, the U.S. and EU member states are stepping up legislation to tackle air pollution. Many of the +4,000 companies in Trucost's environmental database are likely to have to do more to manage their emissions, which are estimated to have caused approximately US$99 billion of damage to health, crops and materials (through acid rain effects on buildings and infrastructure) in 2009. Air pollution emissions rates vary greatly between companies, sectors and regions.

The chart below shows the companies that emit the most air pollution per US$ million of revenue. The costs of damages from air pollution emitted by the companies represent a significant proportion of their total revenues. As they come under stricter emissions standards or trading programmes, these companies could be most exposed to the costs of abatement technologies or allowances.

Chart 1: Air pollution costs relative to company revenues

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