Air pollution is the leading environmental risk to human health, causing respiratory and cardiovascular disease as well as cancer in millions of people every year. Yet some cities are already managing to cut pollution significantly, new analysis by the environmental network Breathe Cities shows.
Cities contend with the worst air quality, thanks to traffic, industry and dense populations. Yet they are also the places where anti-pollution measures can produce the fastest and most visible results.
Breathe Cities analysed the strategies used by 19 major cities that have significantly reduced pollution levels. Cecilia Vaca Jones, executive director of the organisation, says cities can improve air quality faster than many people think.
RFI: What do the 19 cities that have been most successful in reducing air pollution have in common?
Cecilia Vaca Jones: First of all, all these cities do an excellent job collecting reliable data. That data helps guide policies and shows where anti-pollution action should focus.
Cities that invest in infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians understand that they can achieve two goals at once. They reduce polluting emissions and improve air quality, while also encouraging healthier behaviour.
Another point they all share is that they try to make air quality more tangible in people’s daily lives and show how improving it can directly benefit their health.
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RFI: How important is it to collect reliable data on urban air quality?
CVJ: We need to expand air quality monitoring systems because they help guide policies and programmes.
I am currently in Bangkok, where the authorities have tools that map in real time which parts of the city have the most polluted air and who is affected. This also allows them to predict pollution peaks and take very targeted action.
Having good data on a continuous basis also allows us to check whether the actions we take are really working – whether we are actually reducing emissions of fine particles and nitrogen dioxide. So it is very important to have data of that quality.
Finally, the data must be shared transparently with citizens. This information raises awareness and allows people to make informed decisions. Sometimes it also leads them to change their behaviour and help reduce air pollution.
RFI: What solutions have the cities you studied introduced that are proving effective?
CVJ: Several solutions have proved effective across all 19 cities. One example is the introduction of low-emission zones. These exist in London and also in Paris, where the city has closed streets in front of nursery and primary schools to traffic.
In Paris, as in other major European cities such as Amsterdam and Rotterdam, space for cars has been reduced to create cycle lanes, pedestrian areas and green spaces.
Public transport networks have been expanded and buses electrified, allowing residents to leave their personal vehicles at home. Reducing traffic in cities significantly improves air quality.
There are also measures targeting other sources of pollution. For example, Warsaw has banned coal as a heating fuel.
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RFI: Governments clearly need to take action. But what role can citizens play in the fight against air pollution?
CVJ: What I find remarkable is that air quality is truly a public good – probably the only public good we share across the entire world.
Efforts to reduce air pollution often go beyond the boundaries of a single city. In Asia, for example, the air in many cities is badly affected by agricultural burning in surrounding rural areas. That means discussions have to go beyond the city itself.
Citizens also have a very important role to play. In Nairobi, for example, I recently met local organisations and communities working to manage waste. Burning waste is another major source of emissions.
But these communities have developed different waste management methods. They have changed their behaviour, and that also helps reduce air pollution. The first step – and the most important – is awareness. People need to understand the risk that poor air quality poses to their health and the health of their children.
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RFI: How long does it take to clean up the air in a city?
CVJ: People often think that improving air quality takes decades. But what we have learned from this study is that change can actually happen quite rapidly.
This is especially true when there is strong political will. But it also requires the right tools, reliable data and the right people to implement these programmes on the ground.
This interview has been adapted from the original version in French and lightly edited for clarity.
