World leaders urged to cut air pollution to save lives in poor countries

World Health Organisation tells Paris climate summit that tackling air pollution and global warming in tandem will reduce mortality in developing countries

World governments have been urged to tackle air pollution in poorer countries by greening cities, reducing traffic and adopting better diets, and told that this will also rein in climate change, which global health specialists estimate will cause at least 250,000 additional deaths a year by 2030.

"It makes complete sense to tackle air pollution and climate change together," said Maria Neira, director of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) department of public health. "The solutions are the same. The major risk to health at the moment is air pollution. If we address this, the causes of air pollution will overlap and we will reduce climate change. It's logical. It's a win-win situation " The real costs of fossil fuels is seen in your lungs and your cardiovascular systems."