Nairobi, 7 September 2023 – The world today marked the fourth International Day of Clean Air for blue skies with calls to build multistakeholder partnerships, bolster investment and embrace our shared responsibility to address air pollution. Over 99 per cent of people on Earth breathe polluted air, which causes an estimated 6.7 million premature deaths a year and serious health impacts. In 2019, the United Nations General Assembly designated 7 September as the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies. The Day – whose observance is facilitated by the UN Environment Progamme (UNEP) – stresses the importance of clean air and the urgent need for efforts to improve air quality to protect human health. “Air pollution knows no borders, travelling thousands of kilometres, spreading contaminates with the wind. And the climate crisis is having devastating and growing impacts on every continent on Earth,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in his message for Clean Air Day. “Global problems require global solutions. We must act together for clean air – the theme of this year’s International Day of Clean Air for blue skies.”

“Together, we must accelerate a just and equitable transition away from fossil fuels, particularly coal, towards clean renewable energy, while ensuring that no one is left behind,” he added. He stressed the importance of supporting the transition to clean cooking and electric vehicles, encouraging walking and cycling in cities, putting in place systems to make responsible waste management second nature, and acting on the pledge to reduce methane emissions. ....