How should we respond ? 

Some key figures: How much do the effects of air pollution cost? 

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimates that atmospherical pollution cost its 34 countries 1,5 trillion euros in 2012. 

It also reckons air pollution cost China 1,2 trillion euros that same year. The cost of premature deaths and illness caused by pollution was estimated to cost India 440 billion euros. 

The World Health Organisation published results in 2015 showing that pollution had cost 54 European countries a total of 1,4 billion euros, more than 10% higher than results published ten years earlier in 2005 for the same region.  

Similarly, the same study found that the bill rose to 73 billion euros for the United Kingdom and just over 85 billion euros for Italy. 

Germany is thought to have spent 127 billion euros and Russia, 200 billion euros.

Premature deaths in France are thought to have cost the country 100 billion euros after the Senate evaluated the economic implications of air pollution in March 2015.  

Air quality and health