Beat Air Pollution

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Everything you need to know about air pollution

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Air pollution is the biggest environmental health risk of our time. Exposure can lead to stroke, heart and lung disease, pneumonia and cancer. Unsustainable human activity is accelerating air pollution, threatening the climate, biodiversity, human health, the economy and more.

To solve the air pollution emergency…

Governments, development organizations, the private sector, civil society organizations and individuals must reduce unsustainable behaviour and leverage finance and investments towards air quality measures and solutions.

Ambitious actions and strategies

#BeatAirPollution calls for a stronger, more agile, innovative, and forward-looking presence to engage governments, industry, and individuals in making deliberate changes and choices to reduce air pollution.

To address this systemic challenge, the following actions need to be ambitiously applied and integrated:

  • Improve access to and use of renewable energy
  • Make lifestyle changes to minimize pollution and waste
  • Implement decisive policies to safeguard clean air and tackle emissions
  • Invest in air quality monitoring and technology to reduce air pollution

Act

“Everyone has the right to live in a clean, healthy environment. Air pollution violates this right for 99 per cent of the world’s population.” - Inger Andersen, UNEP Executive Director

Here are some actions that can benefit human health, protect ecosystems, and reduce climate-warming air pollutants and greenhouse gases:

 

Governments

  • Announce new regulations to reduce harmful air pollutants from industrial sources.
  • Commit to policies that improve municipal solid waste management and reduce emissions from that sector.
  •  Pledge to reduce fossil fuel subsidies.
  • Commit to integrate air quality and climate planning, management and emissions inventories.
  • Commit to assess the number of lives that are saved, the health gains in children and other vulnerable groups, and the avoided financial costs to health systems that result 
  • Implement policies that increase access to clean, non-polluting energy sources in all homes.
  • Commit to the Global Methane Pledge and national actions to help achieve a 30 per cent reduction in global methane emissions below 2020 levels by 2030.

Businesses and investors

  • Build networks with like-minded businesses to promote ecologically, economically and socially sustainable business ideas that reduce air pollution.
  • Join the Alliance for Clean Air convened by the World Economic Forum.
  • Invest in and promote products, solutions and technologies that cut emissions and reduce pollution.
  • Make pledges to reduce emissions and green the value chain, adopt more sustainable production/business practices, and invest in research and development to imagine new and less damaging ways of doing business.
  • Track and reduce air pollutants and greenhouse gases from facilities and supply chains.
  • Use recycled and recyclable materials in products and packaging, reduce waste from production cycles, move towards renewable energy sources, and opt for energy-efficient transport.

Civil society

  • Advocate and support public authorities in implementing programmes to address the issue of air pollution.
  • Commit to promoting and using public transport, cycling or walking short distances, and carpooling where possible.
  • Make a commitment to reduce and recycle trash.
  • Consider how to integrate steps that combat air pollution into your activities.
  • Organize public events and campaigns to improve public knowledge and action to address the issue of air pollution.
  • Ask your local authorities to provide timely, regular air quality data and petition for legislation to control the worst polluters.
  • Work with private organizations to support incorporation of practices to green the value chain.

Individuals

  • Reduce your waste, compost food, recycle non-organic trash, reuse grocery bags and don’t burn trash.
  • Switch to a plant-rich diet, cut single-use plastic products and consider ways of travelling through means that pollute less.
  • Use public transport, cycle or walk to get around.
  • Check efficiency ratings for home heating systems and cookstoves, favouring fuels and technologies that reduce emissions and protect health.
  • Conserve energy, turn off lights and electronics when not in use, use appliances with high energy-efficiency ratings in your home. This will reduce emissions and save money.
  • Encourage and support your government and businesses to take measures to improve air quality.
Related campaigns and initiatives
UNEP’s advocacy campaigns and related initiatives are mediums to promote change, engage diverse voices, showcase best practices, and transform habits, practices, standards and policies around the globe.

Initiatives to Follow

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Beat Pollution aims to build and nurture a larger narrative on a pollution-free planet that weaves interrelated aspects of climate and nature and connects different forms of pollution to the larger issue of pollution and waste. The goal is to optimize human health and environmental outcomes through enhanced capacity and leadership in the sound management of chemicals and waste and increasing circular processes.

FORMS OF POLLUTION

© UNEP