CCAC at WHO Second Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health – 26 March 2025

Plenary: Improving Air Quality and Accelerating Clean Energy to Save Lives – Health Sector Leadership & Multisectoral Cooperating at Local, National & Regional Levels

The second day of the conference kicked off with a plenary session exploring key themes that would be highlighted throughout the day: sources of air pollution affecting human health, the role of government at all levels in designing and implementing effective policies to address the sources of those pollutants, effective strategies for collaboration within and between governments, and how tools and data could be applied to achieve effective and efficient policy outcomes.

Session on Air Quality Management for Multi-Sectoral Action

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The CCAC was represented at the parallel session on air quality management for multisectoral action by Martina Otto, Head of the Secretariat, who explained that the CCAC was born out of scientific assessments highlighting the climate and clean air nexus and focusing on effective and readily available mitigation measures. To help raise the level of ambition for clean air, the Coalition launched its Clean Air Flagship for the period 2024 to 2026. The Flagship is structured around 5 objectives, including strengthening the capacity of air quality managers – through the development of AQMx, the Air Quality Management Exchange platform – and supporting regional collaboration for clean air – with the launch of the Africa Clean Air Program. The CCAC is also actively engaged in sectoral mitigation of super pollutants through its Hubs, which support the implementation of effective policies in key emissions sectors (such as agriculture, waste management, brick kilns, and heavy-duty vehicles and engines).

Christian Peter, Practice Manager Environment, Natural Resources and Blue Economy World Bank, provided an overview of the World Bank’s programme of work in the Indo-Gangetic Plain  and Himalayan Foothills Region. He noted that even where countries have air quality targets in regulation, implementation can be more difficult. The World Bank is taking a three-pronged approach, starting with a strong analytical base, focusing on implementation of multisectoral air quality strategies and considering the airshed in its totality instead of taking a country-by-country approach. He emphasized the importance of tailoring communication to different audiences to generate buy-in and in identifying both public and private sector collaborators to support implementation.  

Heather Adair-Rohani, Acting Head for Air Quality, Energy and Health at the World Health Organisation, highlighted how WHO provides the evidence the health sector needs to engage with sectoral decision makers and push them to action for clean air. The organisation is a key provider of data on air pollution (global concentrations for health-relevant pollutants, spatial and temporal trends, database of source attribution studies) and associated health impacts (mortality and morbidity, epidemiological repository). The WHO also developed a range of interactive decision support tools including AirQ+, CaRBonH, GreenUr, HEAT, and BAR-HAP. She reminded the audience that the WHO is responsible for the monitoring of Sustainable Development Goals linked to air pollution (SDG 3.9.1 on mortality rate attributable to ambient and household air pollution; SDG 7.1.2. on access to clean fuel; and SDG 11.6.2. on urban concentrations of PM2.5).

The three keynote presentations were followed by a panel discussion.

Ashwin Vasan, Harvard School of Public Health, described how New York City used air pollution sensors to supplement the air quality monitoring network and to identify air pollution hotspots within the city.

Michael Williams, Director of Environmental Health, Jamaica, discussed how, with support from PAHO, towns with higher levels of air pollution were identified and strategies were developed through collaboration across multiple government agencies.

Pema Gyamtsho, Director General, ICIMOD, talked about the importance of cooperation between countries to address transboundary air pollution. He emphasized that there are many known solutions already so there is no reason to delay action.  

Itsuki Kuruda, Deputy Director Ministry of Environment, Japan, explained the working relationships between environment and health as well as national and local governments in Japan. She stressed the importance of local implementation to ensure specific contexts are considered.  

Aoife Kirk, Clean Air Lead World Economic Forum, spoke about the need to engage with the private sector, particularly highlighting the partnership between the Clean Air Fund, CCAC, IKEA, Stockholm Environment Institiute and WEF to develop guidance for the private sector to report on air pollutant emissions.  

Quotes from Air Quality Management for Multi-sectoral Action:

Martina Otto: “Access to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is a human right, not a luxury for those who can afford it.”

Christian Peter: “We have done enough in terms of analytics. We need to move into action.”

Lunch event: Clean Air for All - Addressing Pollution in South Asia for a Healthier Future

Following the launch of their flagship report on air pollution on Monday, the World Bank hosted a lunch session focused on regional collaboration to improve air quality in the Indo-Gangetic Plain and Himalayan Foothills, particularly highlighting the World Bank-supported “35-by-35" initiative to reduce PM2.5 levels to 35 micrograms per m3 by 2035. The programme is based around a roadmap developed following science-policy dialogues in the region and has high-level political support in the participating countries.

Panellists spoke to the experiences in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan and their shared challenges, noting transboundary air pollution meant that it was necessary to cooperate to achieve sustainable improvements. Each described important steps already taken to address key sources, including household energy, transport and agricultural burning, as well as plans for further action. The panel was unanimous in advocating for a continuing dialogue between science and policy as well as their belief that cleaner air was vital to economic development.

Quotes from lunch event: Clean Air for All: Addressing Pollution in South Asia for a Healthier Future:

Arunabha Ghosh, Founder – CEO, Council on Energy, Environment and Water: “Air quality needs to be part of a broader economic development strategy. Rather than thinking of it as a liability, we need to think about clean air as an economic asset.”

Pema Gyamtsho, Director General ICIMOD, on his optimism about achieving 35-by-35: “I’m seeing leaders from different countries speaking the same language.”

Session: Bridging Air Pollution, Health and Climate: Tackling Black Carbon and Ultrafine Particles

The session opened with three presentations on the latest science on ultrafine particles, black carbon and the WHO systematic review of the health effects of black carbon, drawing together numerous studies to further substantiate the evidence base.

Following the scientific presentation, Head of the CCAC Secretariat, Martina Otto moderated a panel focused on linking black carbon science to policy.  

Elisa Puzzolo, Clean Air Fund Policy Manager, discussed CAF’s flagship report on black carbon which was launched on World Glaciers Day. She identified three priority policy areas for reductions of black carbon: the cryosphere, energy and coordinated action on super pollutants.  

Professor Tong Zhu, Peking University, presented data on trends in black carbon emissions. He noted that there had been reductions in BC emissions in China, largely attributable to household energy, North America and Europe, while there had been increase in other regions.

Michael Johnson, Berkeley Air Monitoring Group Technical Director, explained that residential fuel standards have previously been focused on fuel efficiency rather than black carbon emissions, making it difficult to incentive investments that lead to black carbon reductions. He described efforts to identify appropriate metrics and monitoring protocol.

Nestor Garzon, Government of Colombia, explained that Colombia had included a target for black carbon in its NDC due to the multiple benefits of black carbon reduction. He discussed the importance of collaboration across sectors to implement effective policy and of engaging with stakeholders to ensure buy-in.  

Pema Gyamtsho, Director General ICIMOD, said that black carbon was responsible for 28% of the glacier melt in the Hindu Kush region, which is the largest reserve of frozen water supporting the livelihood of one quarter the world’s population. He noted the success in transitioning to cleaner brick kilns following the 2015 earthquake with support from CCAC and highlighted biomass burning and transport as other sectors to address.

Session: Solid Waste Management: Stop Waste Burning Policies and Health Solutions 

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Sandra Cavalieri, CCAC Hubs Coordinator, moderated a parallel session on solid waste management. The session explored the health impacts of open waste burning, especially on vulnerable groups such as children, women, and workers in the informal sector. In her opening remarks, she reminded the audience that of the 2 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste being produced globally each year, 40% is openly burnt, and 30% disposed of in landfills. These poor waste management practices are key sources of super pollutants such as methane (emitted through decomposition of organic waste) and black carbon (linked to the open burning of waste). With most mitigation measures for the waste sector coming at low or negative cost, and with multiple climate, clean air and health co-benefits, the case for action is clear.

The first presentation by Caradee Wright, Chief Scientist Specialist at the South African Medical Research Council, covered the open waste burning challenges and opportunities in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. She presented the results of a systematic review on the health impacts of waste burning at the global scale, which found increased occurrences of respiratory illnesses, cognitive development disorders, thyroid dysfunction, and adverse perinatal outcomes. Most of these health impacts occur in informal settlements, which underlines the environmental justice implications of waste management. The challenges she highlighted include the lack of waste collection and separation systems, and lack of data on the amount and composition of waste. Yet there are many opportunities, with 70% of waste produced in LMICs being recyclable (organic, paper, plastic) and therefore valuable in a circular economy model. The incorporation of informal workers in waste management programmes can also provide for safer and more equitable working conditions, while preserving livelihoods. Economic incentives such as return systems and food vouchers in exchange of sorted waste can also prove effective.

Andreia Costa Santos, consultant for the World Bank, then presented the result of a study on the health and economic burden of e-waste in Africa. While Africa’s production of e-waste is small compared to other regions, the discharge of e-waste from high income countries in the African continent is a growing environmental and health hazard. The study found that children under 5 living near an e-waste dumpsite are 70% more at risk of acute respiratory disease. The number of acute respiratory disease linked to the burning of e-waste over 11 years for the African continent is estimated at 685,499, with an associated morbidity cost of USD19 million, and a mortality cost of USD285 million.

Another perspective from the Africa region was offered by Agnes Nyabigambo, research specialist at the Makerere University, who shared her experience of the open landfills of Uganda. While there is no regulation on open landfilling in the country, a tragic accident resulting in several casualties at a dumpsite near Kampala highlighted the plight of informal waste pickers. She underlined the need for more data on emissions from landfills, as well as regulations and policies to support waste collection, sorting and recycling, in order to reduce the health and security hazards posed by open landfills.

Finally, Budi Haryanto, Professor at the University of Indonesia, gave a presentation of the health impacts of solid waste management in Indonesia. The country produces more than 170,000 tons of solid waste daily, 60% of which is mismanaged, leading to air, water, and soil pollution. The open burning of organic waste, plastics and e-waste is especially damaging to human health, with major cities being particularly impacted by the issue. The Government of Jakarta has recently banned the open burning of waste in urban area and has expanded recycling programs and waste-to-energy plants. He highlighted key policy interventions such as the segregation of waste at the source, better landfill management to reduce methane emissions, stricter regulation and enforcement of burning bans, and public awareness campaigns.

Session: Transboundary Cooperating for Our Shared Air – Leveraging the Health Voice

The Task Force for International Cooperation on Air Pollution (FICAP) under the Convention on Long-range and Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP) hosted a session on regional and global cooperation to address air pollution, moderated by John Salter, Head of International Air Quality at UK DEFRA, and Carolin Sanz Noriega, Environmental Affairs Officer UNECE.

The session started with a presentation on the history and structure of the Convention, which was originally agreed to address the pollutants contributing to acid rain. Member countries have achieved significant emission reductions since 1990 while also decoupling economic growth from emissions increases, resulting in significant health benefits in addition to the originally intended goal protecting forests, soils and lakes. The presentation also highlighted key factors which have contributed to the success of the Convention including the strong scientific basis, the use of harmonized data and methods, high levels of trust between partners, and capacity building to support a level playing field between member states.

Since its original ratification, the convention has evolved to include more of a focus on the health impacts of air pollution. Michal Krzyzanowsi, Imperial College London, gave a presentation on the role of the WHO European Centre for Environment and Health in chairing the task force on health under the convention, contributing to the scientific basis to support increasingly ambitious action.  

Following these presentations, a panel discussion was held with participants representing different regional and scientific perspectives.

Mark Parrington, Senior Scientist at the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, explained the importance of collaboration between scientists within Europe and globally, as well as collaboration between different disciplines.

Renee Gift, UNEP Law Division Legal Officer, explained that there was no single template for incorporating air quality standards into law, with different countries using different metrics, standards or governance and that this heterogeneity can undermine the management of transboundary air pollution. She noted that unilateral action to manage air pollution is still important, but the transboundary nature of air pollution means it’s not the only piece of the puzzle.

Cristian Tolvett Caro, Head of Air Quality at the Ministry of Environment Chile, spoke about the importance of coordination between different government departments in addition to cooperation between countries. He also stressed the importance of “building capacity at the same time you are building policy” to embed institutional knowledge.    

Itsuki Kuruda, Deputy Director Ministry of Environment Japan, provided an example of how Japan has engaged in tripartite ministerial cooperation with China and the Republic of Korea to address transboundary air pollution. She also gave a brief history of cooperation to reduce acid rain across East Asia through EANET.

Michal Krzyzanowsi, Imperial College London, explained that a common health target can be beneficial for getting support for collective air quality improvements. This is because all states aim to reduce exposure to the same level through emission reductions in the sources that are most appropriate to their local context. He also emphasized that collaboration isn’t just about getting together for meetings, but increases efficiency by giving the entire region access to the best experts in the region, citing the long history of U.S. and European scientists working together in support of the Convention.

Kenza Khomsi, CCAC SAP and Mohammed VI University of Sciences and Health, discussed the Africa Clean Air Programme as a platform for cooperation in the African Region, noting that countries can learn from each other in addressing their shared challenges.

In closing, John Salter noted FICAP’s work with and support for the CCAC to advance global cooperation on air pollution, specifically highlighting including AQMx as a resource for building capacity.

Quotes from Bridging Air Pollution, Health and Climate: Tackling Black Carbon and Ultrafine Particles

Leonard Tedd, Deputy Head of Human Development FCDO UK: “There can be particular moments, like happened with acid rain, that can really trigger change. With those comes the political effort.”

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