Ahead of a WHO conference on air pollution scheduled at the end of the month in Colombia, the Our Kids’ Climate network have mobilised groups right across the world to take action highlighting air pollution in their own countries from 14-17 March.
In the UK on Friday, women from Mothers Rise Up held a press briefing at Horseferry Playground, Victoria Tower Gardens, in the shadow of Parliament. Focussing primarily on children’s health, we heard from Baroness Jenny Jones about her attempt to get a Clean Air Bill through parliament. An east London urgent care doctor spoke about the health issues that air pollution cause especially for children.
One reason for holding the event in a playground was to highlight the scandalous fact that only 1% of the UK’s 43,000 children’s playgrounds meet WHO air standard targets for clean air! Mothers Rise Up co-founder Maya also referred to a recent study showing that more than 90% of children worldwide breathe air so polluted it damages their health, with a shocking 2,000 deaths a day caused globally. Children are particularly vulnerable for a variety of reasons – they breathe faster, they are nearer the ground where particulates accumulate, and their bodies and organs are still growing and developing.
Of course one of the main causes of air pollution is fossil fuels, and yet the UK government has announced support for Heathrow expansion, and is STILL considering allowing Rosebank oil field development despite a court ruling that it could be unlawful.
L’myah Sherae (CEO of Enact Equality) reminded us that air pollution is a racial and social justice issue, because areas of highest pollution are highly correlated with lower income and racialised communities, which are often areas with more traffic congestion along with other polluting industries and facilities such as incinerator plants. This is mirrored globally in terms of climate and air pollution, with countries of the Global South (who have contributed the least to the problems) suffering the most from dirty air and higher risk of climate-related disasters.
The only good news of the day was that in London at least, due to ULEZ there has been a significant drop in some of the more deadly pollutants.
Our Kids Climate have confirmed actions over the long weekend in the following countries:
Australia (St Georges), Ecuador (Quito), Ghana (Accra), India (Delhi, Pune), Italy (Milan), Kenya (Nairobi, Kisumu), Mexico (Mexico City, La Paz), Nigeria (Enugu), Poland (Warsaw, Wroclaw, Katowice, Cracov), South Africa (Cape Town), UK (London), USA (Las Vegas, New York, Wisconsin), Zambia (Mumbwa), Zimbabwe (Mutare).
