CCAC at WHO Second Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health – 27 March 2025

by Climate and Clean Air Coalition Secretariat - 28 March, 2025

Clean Air for All: Time to Commit and Act 

As the WHO Second Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health concluded on 26 March 2025, participants reflected on the urgency and collective responsibility to address the growing threat of air pollution. The final day was marked by powerful testimonials, with leaders from around the world reaffirming their commitment to the WHO’s target of reducing the health impacts of air pollution by 50% by 2040. In a series of pledges, countries and organizations demonstrated their resolve to advance policies, invest in clean air solutions, and foster international cooperation to tackle this pressing challenge. Read more on the health science and policy summaries from WHO here.  

The final day of the conference opened with a testimonial by Sunkaru Touray, a doctor at the Permian Health Lung Institute in Gambia. Dr Touray spoke compellingly of the impact of air pollution on his patients and his efforts to work with the government to install sensors and a reference grade monitor to gather the data required to drive action.

Nils Martin Gunneng, Norway’s Ambassador to Colombia, reminded the audience of some of the key statistics that had been presented during the week, noting that the burden of air pollution equates to 6% of the world’s GDP. He explained that Norway had been able to achieve a 55% reduction in deaths attributable to air pollution between 2005 and 2022 and cited the importance of universal access to health care, social services and resilient health systems.

Conference participants welcomed Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who delivered a passionate speech about the challenging global circumstances we face and the dangers of air pollution and climate change. He noted that more people in Colombia die from air pollution each year than from violence. He cited the work of Medellin to make progress but explained more must be done to protect our health and environment before we reach the “point of no return”.

The plenary sessions on the final day of the conference sought to draw together the high-level messages that had been delivered in the previous two days, with speakers talking about the importance of evidence-driven policy, coordination between sectors, consideration of equity, capacity building and air quality finance. There was an emphasis on the need for action at all levels – from individual to local to national to regional to global – and for collaboration between countries to address transboundary pollution and to share best practices.

The Conference has been framed around the WHO’s target of achieving a 50% reduction in the health impacts of air pollution by 2040 and the event culminated in a final plenary session in which countries and organizations announced their commitments to support this goal.

Head of the CCAC Secretariat Martina Otto pledged CCAC’s support, noting that the Coalition represents over 200 partners, including governments, IGOs and NGOs, and has an annual budget of $26 million dedicated to the intersection of improving climate and clean air for positive health outcomes. She committed to continuing to work to build political will and to undertake advocacy, including through the BreatheLife campaign. CCAC will implement its Clean Air Flagship, including the Air Quality Management Exchange (AQMx) and Africa Clean Air Programme (ACAP) which have been discussed during the conference. Through its Science Advisory Panel (SAP), CCAC will continue to advance the dialogue between science and policy, including work to better understand the economic impacts of climate change and air pollution.

CCAC Co-Chairs the United Kingdom and Brazil both announced commitments at the conference.

The United Kingdom expressed its support for AQMx and ACAP, pledging an additional £700,000 for ACAP, which FCDO’s Leonard Tedd described as a “vital platform for regional cooperation.” The UK also stated its commitment to continue to co-chair FICAP with Sweden. Domestically, the UK will set health-based targets to reduce exposure to PM 2.5 and drive long0term change through a new air quality strategy.

Brazil committed to its support for the WHO target, through strengthening inter-ministerial cooperation to advance key initiatives, establishing national air quality policy and standards based on the WHO guidelines, collaborating to build capacity with PAHO and WHO and developing an intersectoral national climate plan with stronger emphasis on equity and just transition.

A number of other CCAC partners were among those also announcing their support for the WHO target including Colombia, C40 Cities, Spain, Norway, Germany, Clean Air Fund (who pledged to raise $90 million over the next two years to support clean air initiatives), Vietnam, Mongolia, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines, India, UNEP (who committed to capacity development using AQMx), UNECE and UNESCAP.  

Quotes:

Nils Martin Gunneng, Norway’s Ambassador to Colombia: “If goal is to save lives and lay the foundation for a healthier and more sustainable future for all, I can think of no other investment.”

Benoit Bosquet, Regional Director for Sustainable Development for the Latin America and Caribbean Region World Bank: “The only way to reach this Conference’s target (halving exposure to PM2.5 concentrations above 25 micrograms/m3 by 2040) is to implement an integrated approach combining clean air, clean energy, and climate policies. To do that an additional investment of USD 3.2 trillion is needed. But this is affordable we you think about the economic gains realized through decreased morbidity and mortality.”

Mete Coban, Deputy Mayor of London: “When we invest in clean air, we invest in green jobs, public transit systems, and cities that work for everyone”

Shweta Narayan, Global Climate and Health Alliance: “Saving lives is the biggest bankable project.” 

Related events