From commitments to real action

Of the 8 million annual deaths The BMJ attributes to air pollution, 5 million are linked to fossil fuels. I’m very disappointed to see the shocking increase in international development funding for projects that prolong fossil fuels, as revealed in our latest research. Meanwhile, underfunding for clean air initiatives persists, amounting to only 1% of funding from 2018 to 2022. Find out more in The State of Global Air Quality Funding 2024.

The world can’t continue down the current path of propping up polluting practices at the expense of global health and climate stability. During New York Climate Week, 150 eminent parents signed an open letter, led by our partner Our Kids’ Climate, urging world leaders to transition away from fossil fuels, so that our children can “inherit a world in which they can breathe clean air, enjoy nature, and meet their potential without threat from ever-worsening climate disasters”. In the UN’s Pact for the Future, leaders reaffirmed their commitments to transition away from fossil fuels and continue action on air pollution.

Now we need to see clear steps from governments to achieve these changes, as we outline here. As the latest paper from the Our Common Air commission argues, we also need incentives and support for governments to measure and publish air quality data, publish national air quality standards, and keep track of progress towards meeting targets.

Elsewhere at Climate Week NYC, I saw much-needed attention turning to climate super pollutants, like black carbon and tropospheric ozone. In the Climate and Clean Air Coalition’s (CCAC) ministerial communique, members called for urgent action on super pollutants to slow warming and improve air quality. I was also delighted to see one of our partners, Green African Youth Organization, announced as a finalist for the Earthshot Prize’s clean air category.  

Listening to private sector leaders in New York, it’s clear that businesses are finding climate leadership challenging. Corporations risk reputational issues if they don’t deliver their climate goals, but also face backlash from the right of the political spectrum. More businesses are recognising that clean air is an effective way of explaining the benefits of climate action to people of all political persuasions. Businesses in the Alliance for Clean Air are seeing the benefits of air pollutant reduction strategies informing climate transition plans. Read more about their progress.  

Global efforts to track and address air pollution are hampered by a lack of comprehensive, timely, and globally accessible air quality data. The Our Common Air commission recently called for a country-led system for tracking global air quality progress and holding governments accountable. Investment into low- and middle-income countries’ monitoring is crucial to tackling this problem. Read more here.

To increase global and regional action on clean air, the CCAC launched AQMx, a “one-stop shop” for guidance and tools on air quality management. Our 2022 report showed that a lack of technical capacity and knowledge is the greatest challenge facing air quality managers, behind lack of funding. As well as closing capacity gaps, I hope AQMx helps make the case for urgent investment for clean air.

At a local level, more cities are joining the clean air fight. Bangkok and Bogotá joined our Breathe Cities initiative, as Nairobi and Johannesburg kicked off their activities. At the Conference of Mayors for Climate Action in Paris, mayors shared insights, from being transparent with air quality data, to countering misinformation and communicating the benefits of climate action. I’m excited to see more cities solve their pollution challenges and better support all of their residents.

Equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) have always been important to Clean Air Fund. We know that effective clean air action means we must address the unequal impacts of air pollution and amplify the voices of those disproportionately affected. Our vision for EDI lays out our commitment to ensuring that our work is informed by the experiences of those most affected by air pollution.

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