More than 99 per cent of people around the world are now breathing polluted air, leading to more than 8 million annual deaths, including more than 700,000 children under five, the UN has revealed, calling for investment in clean air solutions.

The UN is also estimating that the world could be losing up to $8.1 trillion (Sh1,043 trillion- Quadrillion) in health damages due to dirty air annually, besides the already high, and still rising economic, environmental and existential impact of air pollution. This is less than 1 per cent of international development funding that’s dedicated to tackling air pollution.

While leading the world in marking the fifth annual International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies today, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said air pollution causes increasing public health, environmental, and economic harms.

“Dirty air disproportionately affects more vulnerable populations such as women, children and older people, and has become the second leading risk factor for early death globally, overtaking tobacco for adults and second only to malnutrition for children under five,” Guterres said in New York ahead of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 79) which kicks off tomorrow for the next 20 days.

In addition to this silent killer’s toll on human health, Guterres said pollution is also choking economies and heating up the planet, adding fuel to the fire of the climate crisis.

Clear air causes

The UN General Assembly has designated September 7 as a day to champion clean air causes, in 2019.

Led by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), this year’s theme focuses on amplifying global calls to Invest in #CleanAirNow to ensure a healthier and more prosperous future for people and the planet.

“Investing in clean air requires actions by both government and businesses to phase out fossil fuels, strengthen air quality monitoring, enforce air quality standards, boost renewable energy, transition to clean cooking, build sustainable transport and sustainable waste management systems, clean up supply chains, and reduce harmful emissions, including methane,” the UN Secretary-General said.

Ahead of Clean Air Day, the UNEP-convened Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) launched Exchange- AQMx, a global air quality management platform, on September 5, 2024 in response to calls from countries for greater regional knowledge sharing and action on improving air quality that led to a resolution at this year’s UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) talks.