Investing in clean air can saves lives and combat climate change

This year’s International Day for Clean air and Blue Skies, celebrated annually on 7 September, is focused on the theme ‘Invest in #CleanAirNow’ and highlights the economic, environmental and health benefits of investing in clean air.

The Day was established in 2019 after the UN General Assembly noted how detrimental air pollutants are and recognised the importance of clean air for people’s lives.

UN chief António Guterres said pollution is a silent killer that can be stopped and urged the world to “invest now, so we can breathe easy”.

Invest in clean air

Mr. Guterres highlighted how harmful pollution can be, noting that 99 per cent of humanity breathes polluted air which leads to millions of global premature deaths.

“Pollution is also choking economies and heating up our planet, adding fuel to the fire of the climate crisis,” the UN chief said. “And it disproportionally affects those most vulnerable in society, including women, children, and older persons.”

The Secretary-General said investing in clean air will take action from governments, businesses, development organizations and more at a regional and global level.

Mr. Guterres is encouraging the relevant stakeholders to decrease their use of fossil fuels, transition to clean cooking and increase air quality monitoring.

“​​Investing in clean air saves lives, combats climate change, strengthens economies, builds fairer societies, and advances the Sustainable Development Goals,” he said. “...let’s invest now so we can breathe easy knowing we are securing a healthier planet for all.”

Air quality and climate

Mr. Guterres’ message marking the international day highlights some of the challenges outlined in a new report from the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which details the impacts of climate change, wildfires and air pollution on human health.

The report noted that both the northern and southern hemispheres experienced “hyper-active wildfire seasons” in 2023 which caused numerous deaths and damaged livestock.

"The 2023 wildfire season set a multi-decade record in Canada in terms of total area burned, with seven times more hectares burned than the 1990–2013 average, according to the Canadian National Fire Database,” the report said.

The wildfires also worsened air quality in eastern Canada and the north-eastern United States.

For that reason, the WMO Deputy-Secretary-General Ko Barrett said climate change and air quality cannot be treated separately.

“They go hand-in-hand and must be tackled together,” Ms. Barrett said. “It would be a win-win situation for the health of our planet, its people and our economies, to recognise the inter-relationship and act accordingly.”

‘It knows no borders’

Also recognising the need for global change as the international day for clear air approaches is the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) which described air pollution as the “biggest environmental health risk of our time” noting that it worsens climate change, reduces agricultural productivity and causes economic loss.

Inger Andersen, UNEP’s Executive Director, said, “Every person on this planet has a right to breathe clean air, yet almost every person is having this right violated.”

Ms. Andersen echoed the UN chief’s call for there to be a global investment in clean air.

“We are asking nations and regions and cities to establish robust air quality standards,” she said.

“We are asking them to back renewable energy and sustainable transport to hold industry to account with strict emission standards, and to integrate air quality into climate action,” Ms. Andersen continued.

UNEP says if air pollution is tackled proactively, transformative change and healthy air can be achieved.