Air pollution affects us all in a number of crucial ways, causing lasting damage to our health and our environment. While primary pollution can result from local activities, the extent of the impact can be felt at spatial scales from the individual up to the whole planet and temporal scales from minutes to decades. Consequently, pollution of our atmosphere remains a critical concern, warranting continued scientific investigation and the development of effective local and global solutions. ‘The World Atlas of Atmospheric Pollution’ clearly and engagingly summarises current understanding of the state of air pollution on city to global scales.