News 11 September 2024
Nairobi has taken a monumental step in its fight against air pollution with the official launch of the Breathe Nairobi initiative. Breathe Cities is a first-of-its-kind initiative from Clean Air Fund, C40 Cities, and Bloomberg Philanthropies, dedicated to cleaning our air and enhancing public health in cities worldwide.
Launched in June 2023 by Michael R. Bloomberg, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions and founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies, and London Mayor and C40 Cities Co-Chair Sadiq Khan, the initiative aims to reduce air pollution by 30% across participating cities by 2030.
Breathe Cities currently operates in 12 cities worldwide, including Nairobi.
Executive Committee Member for Green Nairobi Maureen Njeri attended the launch event in Nairobi on behalf of Governor Johnson Sakaja, which convened key stakeholders, including government officials, civil society organizations, private sector representatives and development partners from across the region. Njeri reconfirmed Nairobi’s commitment to cleaning up its air once and for all.
According to the State of the Global Air 2020 report, over 5,000 premature deaths in Kenya are attributed to air pollution, a crisis that has continued to escalate despite Nairobi’s position as a global environmental hub. Governor Sakaja highlighted the urgency of the initiative, stating:
Nairobi’s air quality is a matter of life and death. The Breathe Nairobi initiative will provide the much-needed resources to implement real, lasting changes, and ensure that all residents can breathe cleaner air.
H.E. Hon. Sakaja Arthur Johnson, Governor of Nairobi City County, Kenya
In Nairobi, Breathe Cities will focus on strengthening Nairobi’s capacity to monitor and manage air quality, a robust public awareness campaign, and regulatory reforms. The Breathe Nairobi initiative is structured around three core Breathe Cities pillars including data and research, stakeholder and community engagement and technical policy assistance.
The Breathe Nairobi project is a game changer. As part of the Breathe cities initiative, we are committed to collaborating with partners and stakeholders to restore the true meaning of Hakuna Matata – a life free from the burdens of air pollution, where every breath is clean and healthy.
Dr. Victor Indasi, Breathe Cities Lead, Kenya
County Executive Committee Member Green Nairobi Maureen Njeri, affirms that Nairobi has already made significant strides in this area, including the enactment of the Nairobi Air Quality Act in 2022, embedding real time air quality monitoring in the county website as well as carrying out air quality source awareness assessment. In addition, the city has allocated resources for Air Quality Management including recently hiring a record number of technical environment staff to bridge the human resource gap.
The city is committed to reducing emissions by 51% by 2035 through multifaceted approaches such as air quality monitoring, urban greening, sustainable municipal solid waste management, adoption of clean transport alternatives and green energy solutions as part of its broader goal of creating a healthier, more sustainable urban environment.
