UNIS/SGSM/1429
3 September 2024
Ninety-nine per cent of humanity breathes polluted air – leading to an estimated 8 million premature deaths – including more than 700,000 children under five.
Pollution is also choking economies and heating up our planet, adding fuel to the fire of the climate crisis. And it disproportionally affects those most vulnerable in society, including women, children, and older persons.
Yet pollution is a silent killer that can be stopped.
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.
It is also critical to put a price on carbon.
At the same time, development organizations, financial institutions and philanthropies can redirect financial capital behind clean air technologies to tackle the triple planetary crisis.
Above all, we must work together at the regional and global levels.
Investing in clean air saves lives, combats climate change, strengthens economies, builds fairer societies, and advances the Sustainable Development Goals.
On International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, let’s invest now so we can breathe easy knowing we are securing a healthier planet for all.
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"On this International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, I call on countries to heed the lessons of past health emergencies to help prepare for the next." — António Guterres
The new Permanent Representative of Ghana to the United Nations (Vienna), Matilda Aku Alomatu Osei-Agyeman, presented her credentials today to the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV), Ghada Waly.
The new Permanent Representative of New Zealand to the United Nations (Vienna), Andrew Williams, presented his credentials today to the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV), Ghada Waly.
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine invites individuals, groups and organizations to submit information and documentation relevant to its third mandate.
