Breathing Space: Why and How We Must Build Back Better to Achieve Clean Air for All

This briefing by the Clean Air Fund follows a YouGov poll that shows at least two-thirds of citizens in diverse locations around the world – Great Britain, India, Nigeria, Poland and Bulgaria – support
stricter regulation to tackle air pollution. The briefing highlights the close connections between COVID-19 and air pollution and calls for governments to tackle them together in recovery plans. It urges governments to put in place a joined-up strategy to tackle air pollution at the heart of the COVID-19 recovery in order to improve health, build resilience to future diseases, boost productivity, reduce health costs and help tackle climate change.

The briefing calls on leaders putting together recovery stimulus packages to:

• Develop and resource joint national health and environment strategies, with a specific focus on tackling air pollution.
• Make reducing air pollution a key element of economic stimulus packages.
• Support the repurposing of city streets for walking and cycling.
• Strengthen and enforce regulations to retain and build on the improvements in air quality experienced during the pandemic.
• Work with other governments to tackle transboundary pollution.