The BreatheLife Network welcomes:
Medellín, Colombia
Medellín, a city of 2.5 million in the Aburrá Valley of Colombia, is taking targeted action to improve its air quality, with a particular focus on transport emissions, under a comprehensive plan of action covering the Aburrá Valley, PIGECA - Plan Integral de Gestión de la Calidad del Aire.
Balikpapan, Indonesia
Balikpapan, which has a population of 648,732 citizens, is the main gateway to east and north Kalimantan, a center for processing petroleum for Eastern Indonesia, and a buffer zone for the new national capital, which will be built nearby. The Government has committed to meeting national air quality standards through reducing greenhouse gas emissions, monitoring ambient air quality, and many activities that support urban air quality control.
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BreatheLife Highlights
On a roll: Electric buses gaining traction in Latin America. Photo credits: Enel Chile.
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Bogota's order of 379 electric buses boosts fleet in the Americas
Bogota recently announced an order of 379 electric buses, just days after Los Angeles broke the United States record with its order of 130 electric buses, putting the Colombian capital’s prospective fleet in the ranks of among the largest in the world.
Ghana charts an integrated path for tackling air pollution and climate change
Though they share both sources and solutions, climate change and air pollution are often treated as separate issues. Addressing them together could create immediate and substantive effects for the world’s most vulnerable by reducing climate change and delivering local health and development benefits.
Low emissions zone in central Barcelona starts in January
On 1 January 2020, Barcelona will join the ranks of a growing number of cities in Europe to institute a low emissions zone, allowing in only vehicles that qualify for and bear an environmental label.
Over one billion people covered under clean air commitment as health concerns grow at global climate conference
More than one billion people across the world now live in countries that have made a commitment to pursuing “safe” air quality by 2030 as part of their climate change plans, according to the World Health Organization.
Climate risks to health on the rise, but prioritized financing and coordination not keeping up
Safeguarding human health from climate change impacts is more urgent than ever, yet most countries are not acting fully on their own plans to achieve this, according to the first global snapshot of progress on climate change and health.
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Stories from BreatheLife partners
Photo credits: Asian Development Bank
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Climate risks to health are growing but prioritized funding lacking to safeguard human health from climate change - World Health Organization
Safeguarding human health from climate change impacts is more urgent than ever, yet most countries are not acting fully on their own plans to achieve this, according to the first global snapshot of progress on climate change and health.
10 things to know about the Emissions Gap 2019 - UN Environment Programme
The annual United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) flagship Emissions Gap Report is now online. But what is this report really about? And why should you care?
Vietnam becomes global leader in greening up its agriculture - Climate and Clean Air Coalition
With the help of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition’s Solutions Center, Vietnam carried out a study on its agricultural sector to not only measure the biggest emitters of short-lived climate pollutants and the best way to mitigate them, but to integrate them into its Nationally Determined Contributions.
Building the evidence basis for transport interventions - World Bank
With the release of the Global Roadmap of Action toward Sustainable Mobility (GRA) by Sustainable Mobility for All (SuM4All), the transport sector now has at its disposal a catalogue of more than 180 policy measures that have been used by countries around the world to progress on sustainable mobility.
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Madrid Call for Fast Action on Super Pollutants launched at COP25
Climate action advocates associated with the Climate and Clean Air Coalition from more than 35 leading scientific and environmental organizations, are calling for governments to take immediate, vigorous action to reduce super pollutant emissions
GEF Global E-Mobility Programme to help developing countries go electric - UN Environment Programme
A new Global Environment Facility (GEF) Global E-Mobility Programme launched at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP25) will help an initial set of 17 developing countries deploy electric vehicles at scale, in support of improved air quality and reduced fossil fuel dependency.
Ethiopian Open Streets days sees pedestrians take over the roadways - UN Environment Programme
In Ethiopia on the last Sunday of each month, major cities turn their streets into dance floors, football fields, workshops and skate parks. Menged Le Sew (literally, streets for the people) sees several kilometres of main roads closed as part of a recurring green urbanism initiative that began in December 2018.
Pollution Pods at COP25 show climate change and air pollution are two sides of the same coin - World Health Organization
Immersive art installation at COP25 recreates air pollution experienced daily by millions, representing a major public health issue
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40 years of cooperation and counting with UNECE Air Convention
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The first international legally-binding instrument dealing with air pollution on a broad regional basis turned 40 this year, trailing a list of remarkable achievements.
The Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution prompted the decoupling of air pollution trends and economic growth. Emissions of harmful substances, including particulate matter and sulfur, have been cut by 30 to 80 per cent in Europe since 1990 and 30 to 40 per cent in North America in the same period. This has led to healthier forest soils and lakes.
In Europe, these efforts account for one additional year of life expectancy and prevent 600,000 premature deaths each year.
In 1979, 32 Member States signed the Convention, and in the four decades that followed, turned it into one of the most successful regional frameworks for controlling and reducing the damage caused by transboundary air pollution to human health and the environment.
Read more here from the Climate and Clean Air Coalition.
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Photo credits: Wayne Marshall/CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
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Cutting air pollution improves health outcomes within weeks, new study finds
New research has found that anywhere that air pollution was reduced and at any scale— from the national level, through to cities, even to the home— yielded health benefits that were “almost immediate and substantial”, and stretched into the long term.
Air Pollution Linked to Increased Risk of Glaucoma
New research from University College London has found a potential link between increased air pollution and risk of glaucoma.
Canadians dying at a higher rate in areas with more air pollution
Air pollution—even at levels below national and international air quality guidelines—is associated with an increased risk of deaths in Canada, according to new research by the University of British Colombia.
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Short-term exposure to air pollution linked with new causes of hospital admissions, substantial economic costs
Hospitalizations for several common diseases—including septicemia (serious bloodstream infection), fluid and electrolyte disorders, renal failure, urinary tract infections, and skin and tissue infections—have been linked for the first time with short-term exposure to fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5), according to a comprehensive new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Switching to renewable energy could save thousands of lives in Africa
New research finds that if Africa chooses a future powered by fossil fuels, nearly 50,000 people could die prematurely each year from fossil fuel emissions by 2030, mostly in South Africa, Nigeria and Malawi.
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Resource feature
C40 Knowledge Hub's Spotlight On: Clean Air Cities
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Solving the air pollution crisis presents massive opportunities for cities. As many of the sources of air pollution are also sources of greenhouse gas emissions, targeted action to address both crises can bring rapid, local health benefits as well as longer-term, global climate benefits. These health benefits will far outweigh the costs of control. The good news is that cities already have a proven set of tools which can be deployed to improve air quality and make their cities more liveable, and economically prosperous.
Spotlight On: Clean Air Cities provides city leaders and practitioners around the world with information, tools and practical experience from other cities on improving urban air quality. This collection of resources explains the problems air pollution causes for cities and citizens, the link with climate action, and effective approaches cities can take.
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World Urban Forum
8-13 February, 2020
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
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