Israeli scientists have tracked pollution trends for 189 megacities, including New York City, Tokyo and Mumbai, using data collected by three of NASA's high-tech aerosol monitoring satellites.

Researchers have identified a material that can slash pollution levels caused by diesel-powered vehicles by up to 45 percent.

The exhaust from diesel-run vehicles, wood fires and coal fired power stations contains soot particles that not only pollute the air, but more dangerously, stick to human lungs, says a study.

Burning coal, wood or charcoal for cooking kills two million people worldwide, each year - more than malaria - thanks to severe respiratory diseases this causes through indoor pollution, warns an expert.

The cost of environmental damage soared to almost 1.4 trillion yuan ($222 billion) in 2009 in China, up 9.2 percent compared to the previous year, a report said.