Air quality across the globe continues to deteriorate due to increasing emissions, threatening human health and contributing to climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste.
Nairobi resident Cyprine Odada was so tired of gridlock that in 2015 she decided to try cycling to work. Her first two-wheeled commute through the Kenyan capital was an eye-opener.
“It was very scary, and most motor-vehicle users weren’t friendly,” said Odada, a city planner. “There were many who thought cyclists, and especially women, shouldn’t be on our roads.”
In 1987, the world came together to sign the Montreal Protocol, a global agreement to protect the Earth’s ozone layer. The accord was designed to phase out a host of chemicals, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), that were creating a continent-sized hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica.
With the 2022 Emissions Gap Report due to be released in October this year ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt, the focus is on how fast countries can reduce greenhouse gas emissions to avoid the worst effects of the climate crisis.
Air pollution has been called the most-pressing environmental health crisis of our time, responsible for an estimated 7 million premature deaths every year. Approximately nine in 10 people around the world breathe unclean air, which increases the risk of asthma, heart disease and lung cancer.
The theme of this year’s International Day of Clean Air for blue skies on 7 September – the Air We Share - focuses on the need for collective action to address air pollution, which respects no national borders.
Cambodia, the Southeast Asian country, known for the temples of Angkor Wat and the architecture of Siem Reap, is becoming increasingly vulnerable to air pollution.
Today, a major wildfire in France has destroyed thousands of hectares of forest and forced many people to flee their homes. Meanwhile, dry weather, extreme heat and strong winds have combined to fan wildfires across Europe, the United States and other parts of the world over the last few weeks.
Today, a major wildfire in France has destroyed thousands of hectares of forest and forced many people to flee their homes.
The third edition of the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies, which stresses the importance of clean air and the urgency to act to improve air quality and protect human health, will be commemorated on 7 September 2022.
