The Global Air Quality Project (GAQP) is your one-stop resource centre for accurate, easy to access information about the key causes and issues of air pollution, as well as providing you with the resources to learn how you can make a positive difference to address this worldwide issue. With the information available here, you can take action today to help protect your health and the health of your community. Working together, we can empower everyone to create a safer, healthier world - not only for our own generation, but also for everyone in the future.
This project ties in with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. In particular, the GAQP supports the Goal 3 target of substantially reducing the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination by 2030. It also links to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #11: Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable, supporting the Goal 11 target of reducing the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities by 2030, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.
Air pollution is called the silent killer for a clear reason - while it is widespread and insidious, it is not always visible. Smog hanging over cities can be easily seen, but other sources and types of air pollution are less obvious. This issue poses a serious threat both to our health, and to the climate. Every year, the combined effects of ambient (outdoor) and household air pollution cause about 7 million premature deaths. By reducing air pollution levels, we can reduce strokes, hearth disease, lung cancer, and both chronic and acute respiratory diseases, including asthma.
Children, women, and outdoor workers are the people most impacted by air pollution. Childhood exposure to unsafe levels of air pollution can result in a lifetime of health impacts. Air pollution is also a major risk factor for pneumonia, which is the leading cause of death in children aged under five years of age.
While those people living in low- and middle-income countries suffer the most from poor air quality, air pollution is hard to escape no matter where you live. Worldwide, more than 80% of people living in urban areas that do monitor air pollution are exposed to air quality levels that are worse than the recommended guideline levels.
As well as air pollution being a major environmental risk to human health, air quality is closely linked to the earth's climate and ecosystems. Many of the key drivers of air pollution are also sources of carbon dioxide emissions and other climate pollutants, contributing significantly to climate change. The reduction of air pollution is vital to safeguard both our climate and health, by decreasing the high levels of disease resulting from air pollution, as well as helping mitigate climate change.
What causes air pollution? The major outdoor sources of this pollution include vehicles, power generation, heating systems for buildings, agriculture/waste incineration and industry. As well as this, when household cooking, heating and lighting are driven by polluting technologies and fuels, smoke is released into the home and pollutants are leached into the air outside. Currently, more than 3 billion people worldwide rely on polluting technologies and fuels like these, which include biomass, coal and kerosene.
Poor air quality is a serious issue, but it's simple to start taking action to address air pollution. Read on to learn more about what you can do today to help protect your health, the health of others, and the planet.
This project ties in with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. In particular, the GAQP supports the Goal 3 target of substantially reducing the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination by 2030. It also links to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #11: Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable, supporting the Goal 11 target of reducing the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities by 2030, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.
Air pollution is called the silent killer for a clear reason - while it is widespread and insidious, it is not always visible. Smog hanging over cities can be easily seen, but other sources and types of air pollution are less obvious. This issue poses a serious threat both to our health, and to the climate. Every year, the combined effects of ambient (outdoor) and household air pollution cause about 7 million premature deaths. By reducing air pollution levels, we can reduce strokes, hearth disease, lung cancer, and both chronic and acute respiratory diseases, including asthma.
Children, women, and outdoor workers are the people most impacted by air pollution. Childhood exposure to unsafe levels of air pollution can result in a lifetime of health impacts. Air pollution is also a major risk factor for pneumonia, which is the leading cause of death in children aged under five years of age.
While those people living in low- and middle-income countries suffer the most from poor air quality, air pollution is hard to escape no matter where you live. Worldwide, more than 80% of people living in urban areas that do monitor air pollution are exposed to air quality levels that are worse than the recommended guideline levels.
As well as air pollution being a major environmental risk to human health, air quality is closely linked to the earth's climate and ecosystems. Many of the key drivers of air pollution are also sources of carbon dioxide emissions and other climate pollutants, contributing significantly to climate change. The reduction of air pollution is vital to safeguard both our climate and health, by decreasing the high levels of disease resulting from air pollution, as well as helping mitigate climate change.
What causes air pollution? The major outdoor sources of this pollution include vehicles, power generation, heating systems for buildings, agriculture/waste incineration and industry. As well as this, when household cooking, heating and lighting are driven by polluting technologies and fuels, smoke is released into the home and pollutants are leached into the air outside. Currently, more than 3 billion people worldwide rely on polluting technologies and fuels like these, which include biomass, coal and kerosene.
Poor air quality is a serious issue, but it's simple to start taking action to address air pollution. Read on to learn more about what you can do today to help protect your health, the health of others, and the planet.
Related Resources (Documents):
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ACET-Global: the importance of education and the environment PowerPoint PDF
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Global Air Quality Project
PowerPoint PDF |
Related Resources (Video Links):
For an overview of ACET-Global's Global Climate Action Project, left-click our video below.
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For additional, interesting information on air pollution and air quality management, we recommend watching the following TED talks. TED is a global non-profit community dedicated to sharing free knowledge and spreading important ideas with the power to change lives for the better. These talks are linked here with the kind permission of TED.
Please left-click the links below to open the videos.
Please left-click the links below to open the videos.
- "This is your brain on air pollution" - Maria Neira
- "A new way to remove CO2 from the atmosphere" - Jennifer Wilcox
- "You don't have to be an expert to solve big problems" - Tapiwa Chiwewe
- "Ink made of air pollution" - Anirudh Sharma
- "5 steps for clean air in India" - Arunabha Ghosh
- "A personal air-quality tracker that lets you know what you're breathing" - Romain Lacombe