Efforts to fix air pollution gasp for funding, as pandemic pressure builds

(Reuters, 7 Sep 2020) First International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies highlights urgent need for more resources and global collaboration to tackle pollution

Development funding for efforts to tackle air pollution falls far short of what is needed in a world where nine in 10 people breathe air that is damaging their health - a problem thrown into sharp focus by the pandemic, researchers said on Monday.

A report released to mark the first International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skiesshowed grant funding for initiatives to curb air pollution amounted to $273 million from 2015 to 2019.

That is a tiny fraction of the development aid provided by governments and philanthropic organisations - yet devoting more cash to clean air could boost other global goals too, it said.

Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted in a foreword that outdoor air pollution is responsible for more than 4 million deaths each year, but political will to address the problem is increasing as evidence of the damage becomes clearer.

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Reuters, 7 Sep 2020: Efforts to fix air pollution gasp for funding, as pandemic pressure builds