International Day of Clean Air for blue skies

Clean air is fundamental to health . Compared to 15 years ago, when the previous edition of these guidelines was published, there is now a much stronger body of evidence to show how air pollution affects different aspects of health at even lower concentrations than previously understood. But here’s what hasn’t changed: every year, exposure to air pollution is still estimated to cause millions of deaths and the loss of healthy years of life. The burden of disease attributable to air pollution is now estimated to be on a par with other major global health risks such as unhealthy diets and tobacco smoking. In 2015, the World Health Assembly adopted a landmark resolution on air quality and health, recognizing air pollution as a risk factor for noncommunicable diseases such as ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma and cancer, and the economic toll they take. The global nature of the challenge calls for an enhanced global response. Access the guidelin...

Air pollution is the greatest environmental threat to public health globally and accounts for more than 8 million premature deaths every year. Air pollution and climate change are closely linked as all major pollutants have an impact on the climate and most share common sources with greenhouse gases. Improving our air quality will bring health, development, and environmental benefits.  The UNEP Pollution Action Note displays the global state of air pollution, major sources, the impact on human health, and national efforts to tackle this critical issue. With every breath we take, we suck in tiny particles that can damage our lungs, hearts, and brains and cause a host of other health problems. The most dangerous of these particles, which can include anything from soot, soil dust, to sulfates, are fine particles 2.5 microns (µ) or less in diameter —shortened as PM2.5. In 2021, in response to increases in quality and quantity of evidence of air pollution impacts, the WHO updated the P...

The Member States recognize the need to substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination by 2030 , as well as to reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities , including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management by 2030. Clean air is important for the health and day-to-day lives of people , while air pollution is the single greatest environmental risk to human health and one of the main avoidable causes of death and disease globally. Air pollution disproportionately affects women, children and older persons, and also has a negative impact on ecosystems. Today, the international community acknowledges that improving air quality can enhance climate change mitigation and that climate change mitigation efforts can improve air quality.

  The world today marked the second International Day of Clean Air for blue skies under the theme Healthy Air, Healthy Planet, which highlights the link between air quality and planetary and human health. Nine out of ten people on earth breathe polluted air, which causes an estimated seven million premature deaths a year. In 2019, the United Nations General Assembly designated 7 September as the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies . The Day – whose observance is facilitated by the UN Environment Progamme ( UNEP ) – stresses the importance of clean air and the urgent need for efforts to improve air quality to protect human health. Official commemorations of the second International Day of Clean Air for blue skies were hosted in Nairobi, New York and Bangkok. The main high-level event for the day included UNEP’s Executive Director, Inger Andersen, and UNEP’s Chief Scientist, Andrea Hinwood, along with other experts and government officials who addressed global action a...

Every year, around 7 million people die from diseases and infections related to air pollution, more than the official death toll to date of COVID-19.   5 dangerous pollutants you’re breathing in every day