Speech prepared for delivery at an event to mark International Day of Clean Air for blue skies
The International Day of Clean Air for blue skies is a reminder that healthy air and a healthy planet go hand in hand. And right now, our air is far from healthy.
You know the oft-quoted statistics. Over 90 per cent of us breathe dirty air, while atmospheric pollutants cause half of all global warming. But new research from the University of Chicago brings the issue into sharper focus. The Air Quality Life Index found that the average person loses 2.2 years of life from air pollution. Air pollution shortens life more than smoking. More than alcohol and narcotics. More than road traffic accidents, HIV/AIDS and malaria.
We have made the air that keeps us alive the number one threat to our health.
But just as we caused the problem, we can fix it. And improving air quality will also make a major difference to the climate crisis – on which the IPCC recently issued a code-red. This is because the sources of air pollution are often the sources of greenhouse gas emissions. We are talking fossil fuels for power, particularly coal. Transport, industrial facilities and much more.
We know exactly what to do. If nations invest in green solutions through pandemic recovery packages – choosing renewable energy, electric mobility and the deployment of nature in cities – the air gets cleaner. If, at COP26, nations up their game and accelerate efforts to reach net-zero emissions, the air gets cleaner. If we act on methane, a potent climate-warming gas that contributes to polluting ground-level ozone, the air gets cleaner. In fact, according to UNEP’s Global Methane Assessment, if we reduce methane emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 – including through action by the oil and gas industry – we prevent 260,000 premature deaths. We prevent 775,000 asthma-related hospital visits. And we prevent around 0.3 degrees C of global warming by 2050.
Friends, we are getting there.
A new UNEP report on Actions on Air Quality in more than 190 countries found encouraging progress in most polluting sectors. Many countries already have constitutional provisions for the establishment of rights to clean air. Incentives or policies promoting cleaner production. Clean energy programmes for residential cooking and heating. More sustainable agricultural practices. Regulations on open waste burning. The world is finally free of leaded petrol – which was a major contributor to dirty air. More countries are adopting emission standards equivalent to Euro 4 or higher. Resolutions on clean air at UN Environment Assembly, and this day itself, also show that awareness and action are growing. Here, let me thank the Governments of Germany and the Republic Korea for their financial support for the day and their commitment to international cooperation on clean air.
But persistent policy, capacity and implementation gaps impair more effective action.
The first global assessment of air pollution legislation, launched last week, found that countries are lagging in creating and enforcing Ambient Air Quality Standards. Over one third of the world’s countries have no legally mandated outdoor air quality standards. At least 31 per cent of countries with powers to introduce standards have not used them. Sixty percent of countries, accounting for 1.3 billion people, have no routine, annual ground-based monitoring of PM2.5 at all. Meanwhile, European countries on average invest about 0.25-1 per cent of GDP in environmental protection. We could do a lot better.
So, on International Day of Clean Air for blue skies, I call on everyone to act.
Public institutions can adopt policies and legislation, invest in implementation and hold polluters accountable. Industry and the private sector can not only respect the law but go above and beyond to contribute to a clean environment. Civil society and individuals can promote and adopt lifestyle changes and demand cleaner air from their elected representatives.
If we do all of this, we create healthier and more productive lives by cleaning the air and slowing climate change. In the context of COVID-19 recovery, investments in air quality will enhance job creation, energy efficiency, clean transport, sustainable agriculture, and green and resilient cities.
We can’t clean the air overnight. And we can’t clean the air without the full engagement of every sector of society. But if we put the work in today we can, one day soon, all breathe a little easier.
Thank you.
Executive Director
