News 4 November 2024
Check out the latest news articles, research, opinions and efforts to tackle air pollution around the world.
Stark global climate and health ‘report card’, but promising signs for air quality
The 9th Lancet Countdown report on health and climate change paints a grim picture of the scale of our challenge to eliminate greenhouse gases and improve global public health. Despite the many concerning updates, however, came welcome news that deaths from fossil fuel-associated air pollution fell from 2.25 million in 2016 to 2.09 million in 2021. This illustrates how quickly clean air action can translate into positive health outcomes.
World Medical Association highlights air quality as vital for global public health
The World Medical Association’s (WMA) declaration recognises the unique impact of air pollution on health, and the necessity for targeted guidelines for healthcare professionals. The WMA represents 115 national medical associations and constituent members and 10 million doctors globally . The declaration calls for cross-border collaboration, and reinforces the vital role of the international healthcare community to foster healthy environments.
Sustainability of 300 influential companies ranked
The World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA) has released its 2024 Urban Benchmark report, ranking the sustainability performance of the 300 most influential companies shaping urban environments worldwide. It reveals they are failing to take adequate action to address deadly pollutants that threaten urban public health. Only 3% of companies surveyed are disclosing their air pollutant emissions.
Integrating air pollution into the 1.5 degrees business playbook
During New York Climate Week, Clean Air Fund announced its collaboration with Exponential Roadmap Initiative to integrate air pollution reporting into their 1.5C business playbook. This will mean reaching more companies, including suppliers, across multiple industry value chains, to start tracking and ultimately reducing their air pollutant emissions.
UK budget a mixed bag for air quality
The UK government’s budget announcement held some promise for tackling air pollution, with further investment in rail, cycling, walking and elective vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, as well as a prioritisation of clean energy and positive moves on the Warm Homes Plan. However, an increased cap on bus fares and frozen fuel duties were announced, with no mention of clean air action. Local campaigners like Mums for Lungs are pushing for bolder government action to deliver air quality improvements.
Scientists expand efforts to understand the impact of air pollution on health
Scientists at The Crick Institute have announced they will examine the connection between air pollution and neurodegenerative diseases, bringing insight into how air particulates trigger disease in general and helping the development of new drugs.
Researchers at the University of Oxford are calling for urgent global action to better understand the connection between air pollution and mental health.
Lastly, researchers at the University of Southern California revealed that exposure to unhealthy levels of air pollution during pregnancy may prolong postpartum depression symptoms.
Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah’s mother to receive settlement over death linked to air pollution
Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, the mother of the nine-year-old Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, who became the first person in the UK to have air pollution cited on their death certificate, will receive an undisclosed settlement from the UK government in compensation for her daughter’s death. Rosamund will continue to campaign for tighter air pollution legislation, aiming for Ella’s law to be approved, which would force the government to adopt a target to cut PM2.5 particulate matter pollution to 10 micrograms a cubic metre by 2030, 10 years sooner than its current commitment.
EU commit to new air quality laws
EU member states adopted a revised Ambient Air Quality Directive (AAQD), landmark legislation which puts all EU member states on a path towards meeting World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines. This is a vital move for clean air and better public health across the region, but it will be crucial to swiftly transpose the Directive into national law and begin to implement clean air measures.
Governments quadruple international funding for fossil fuel projects, while support for clean air stagnates
International development funding for fossil fuel projects rose by 350% in one year, while air quality gets less than 1% of development funding, revealed Clean Air Fund’s report The State of Global Air Quality Funding 2024. As global attention shifts to COP29’s discussions on climate finance, our report urges governments to increase funding to tackle air pollution.