Despite the EU's efforts to curb pollution, more and more people are dying in Europe from toxic air. Air pollution killed more people in 2021 than in 2020 and remains the biggest environmental health risk to humans, according to a new data analysis of the European Environment Agency (EEA) published on Friday. Toxic air contributes to a number of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases such as diabetes, asthma, lung cancer and stroke, the report said. Despite the recent rise in deaths, the EU is on track to meet its targets set in Zero pollution action plan , which is part of the Green Agreement, said the head of the EEA at a press conference on Friday. The action plan commits the EU to reduce deaths related to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution by at least 55 percent compared to 2005 levels by 2030. So far, it has achieved a 41 percent reduction.LOUISE GUILLOT)