                                        Welcome to the inaugural issue of the Clean Air Countdown, the monthly briefing from the global #BreatheLife campaign! Together, we can reduce annual deaths from air pollution by 50 percent by 2030.

As cities and regions around the world mobilize to meet WHO air quality guidelines, this newsletter will mark milestones, celebrate successes and highlight top headlines from the global campaign for cleaner air.

In this month's issue: Washington, D.C.'s innovative approach to Solar for All; air pollution's impact on non-communicable disease; the harms of ozone air pollution; and #BeatPollution pledges for UNEA3; plus updates, headlines and more.

WELCOME TO THE BREATHELIFE NETWORK

We’d like to extend a very warm welcome to the newest cities and regions to join the BreatheLife network!

London, England, United Kingdom

London joined the BreatheLife network on October 4 as the world’s first mega-city to commit to reaching WHO’s air quality guidelines. Led by Mayor Sadiq Khan, London is working to reach WHO’s recommended upper limit of PM2.5 particles by 2030. This ambitious goal is just one milestone on the road to London’s broader vision: becoming a zero-carbon city by 2050. Read about their journey.

Washington, D.C., United States

Washington, D.C. is the first U.S. city to join the BreatheLife network, building on a long history of environmental action and leadership. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the partnership on September 22. The District’s strategy for cleaner air is outlined in the Clean Energy DC Plan, a vision and 55-point plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions 50 percent by 2032 and 80 percent by 2080. Follow their progress.

National Government of Mongolia

With the pressures from climate change and urban development, air pollution has reached crisis levels in Mongolia’s capital city of Ulaanbaatar. The city’s annual average of PM2.5 is 7.5 times greater than WHO guideline levels, peaking at 80 times higher during the worst month of December. The national government is taking decisive action to tackle the crisis, with a 59-point National Action Plan for Reducing Air and Environmental Pollution. Learn more.

BREATHELIFE SOLUTIONS: ENERGY SUPPLY

How Solar Works DC is adding solar capacity today, while developing the skilled workforce of tomorrow

Solar Works DC is an innovative program that is simultaneously expanding solar capacity in the District and developing an experienced local workforce to help build D.C.’s solar future. Trainees split their time between the classroom and the field, installing solar panels on the homes of low-income families to save thousands on utility bills. Read about how Solar Works DC is changing lives.

WHO report links air pollution to non-communicable diseases

A report from the World Health Organization (WHO) links air pollution to higher rates of non-communicable diseases like heart disease, cancer and stroke — leading causes of death around the world. Eating an unhealthy diet, not getting enough exercise or abusing alcohol and tobacco increases the risk of these disease. So does breathing polluted air.

One million premature deaths linked to ozone air pollution

An article published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives quantified the global impact of long-term ozone exposure on respiratory mortality. The article found that in 2010, long-term outdoor exposure to ozone air pollution contributed to about 1 million premature respiratory deaths globally – or approximately one in five of all respiratory deaths. This is substantially larger (125%) than previous estimates of the global health impacts of ozone (~0.4 million premature respiratory deaths).

One million premature deaths linked to ozone air pollution
Hot on the heels of a British Medical Journal study that linked outdoor air pollution to lower birthweight of babies, a new study has found, conversely, that switching from more polluting traditional cookstoves to cleaner-burning ethanol ones has positive impacts on birth outcomes.

CLIMATE & CLEAN AIR HEADLINES