Every year, on 7 September, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) holds the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies. This year, the theme of ‘Racing for Air’ emphasises the need to accelerate solutions and collective action to deliver clean air for all.
With global air pollution costs at USD 8 trillion per year — or 6% of global GDP — the world is falling behind on that race. New data from the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) shows that particulate pollution remained the greatest external threat to human life expectancy in 2023, the impacts comparable to smoking and exceeding other major health risks.
But this race is hardly an even one, with some nations moving fast while others, often the most vulnerable, are left far behind.
People in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in regions like South Asia, bear the brunt of the burden. The impact on life expectancy in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan — the most polluted countries in the region — is over 1.5 times that of major health risks like childhood and maternal malnutrition, and more than eight times that of unsafe water, and sanitation.
Advanced economies in Europe and North America have implemented strict laws and invested heavily in clean technologies, leading to significant improvements in air quality. Europe’s strict air quality laws are on track to cut premature air pollution-related deaths by 55% and generate up to gross annual benefits of EUR 121 billion in health, economic, and environmental benefits.
Air pollution sources: The common and the country-specific
Today, the top global sources of air pollution are fossil fuel combustion from energy production, transportation, and industrial activities, all of which release major health-harming air pollutants like particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and sulfur dioxide (SO2).
In many countries, coal-fired power plants and vehicles powered by fossil combustion engines are key contributors. The industrial sector, including manufacturing, smelting, and waste incineration, also releases a toxic mix of pollutants, including fine particles and chemicals.
In northern India, stubble burning by farmers during harvest season significantly worsens air quality in major cities like Delhi, which highlights the challenge in policy enforcement against deeply entrenched agricultural traditions. In Bangladesh, unregulated brick kilns are a dominant source of air pollution. While the government is working to phase them out, the social and economic needs of an estimated one million workers are often overlooked.
In parts of sub-Saharan Africa, meanwhile, household air pollution from the use of solid fuels for cooking has been a critical health crisis. Efforts to transition one billion people in Africa to cleaner fuels has the potential to address 10% of Africa’s total mortality, particularly those of women and children.
Transboundary air pollution is also a critical problem. Air pollutants travel beyond country borders, creating transboundary hotspots far from the source of the pollutants. The Indo-Gangetic Plain and the border region of China and Mongolia are major examples in the Asia Pacific region. Similarly, in Mainland Southeast Asia, crop burning and forest fires are a major source of transboundary haze, affecting the entire subregion.
Another highly significant issue that doesn’t receive enough attention is the need for better integration of clean energy and clean air policies. Since the sources of air pollution and climate change are often one and the same, tackling these problems individually is a self-defeating prospect that misses the opportunity for powerful, co-beneficial solutions. CREA’s work in fossil fuel dominant economies — namely China, India, Indonesia, among others — aims to provide actionable insights into energy and emissions trends, informing national dialogues to address the health and economic impacts of energy sector decisions.
Exposing the ground level impacts of emissions and poor air quality
In the six years since its establishment, the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) has implemented unique methodologies that reveal the connection between fossil fuel power generation and air pollution, as well as the impacts of air pollution on specific geographies, including public health, annual deaths, and economic loss. This work has demonstrated the profound power of data in loosening the grip of entrenched policies and triggering genuine action on air pollution.
The core of CREA’s air pollution work is in its health impact assessments (HIA). Through data extrapolated from satellites, atmospheric modeling, global health and population databases, CREA extracts findings on asthma, deaths, and hospital visits, all of which are linked to air pollution in specific geographies. These HIAs then assess the health impacts of specific emissions and their sources, the economic costs of air pollution, and the health costs or benefits of policies and investment projects.
For example, a recent report from CREA found that in 2023, South Africa’s coal-based economy contributed to an estimated 42,000 air pollution-related deaths, including over 1,200 deaths among children under five. Bringing these findings to the attention of the public has since empowered communities, sparking widespread civil engagement and highlighting the transformative power of data.
Data is moving the needle on air pollution across the globe
A data-driven ruling on diesel emissions in Europe
In 2015, the ‘Dieselgate’ scandal revealed that Volkswagen was using prohibited defeat devices which caused vehicles’ emission control systems to be switched on during laboratory testing conditions but then switched off under real-world driving conditions, leading to higher real-world nitrogen oxides (NOX) emissions.
In response, environmental law charity ClientEarth and NGO partners including Mums for Lungs sent legal complaints to the UK and French governments in 2023 for failing to address the issue. They presented CREA HIA data tying excess emissions to 124,000 premature deaths; 90,000 new cases of asthma in children; 25,000 years of lives with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); and an economic burden of EUR 760 billion.
The report also estimated that inaction would result in an additional 81,000 premature deaths, 55,000 new cases of asthma in children, and an economic cost of EUR 430 billion.
Data into impact: On 27 July of this year, ClientEarth successfully persuaded the courts to rule that auto manufacturers must release unredacted Dieselgate documents.
Action on air pollution-related deaths in Bangladesh
In 2023, Bangladesh was ranked the most polluted country globally. To address the country’s mounting air pollution crisis, the Global Strategic Communications Council (GSCC) partnered with CREA and the Center for Atmospheric Pollution Studies (CAPS) to host a press conference in Dhaka in January 2025 that presented stark new findings.
CREA’s HIA work found that reducing PM2.5 pollution exposure in Bangladesh could prevent approximately 102,456 deaths annually, including deaths due to ischemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lower respiratory infections, and lung cancer.
It was also shown that meeting Bangladesh’s national air quality standard could reduce deaths by 19%, while meeting the WHO 2021 guideline would reduce deaths by 79%, or 81,282 lives each year. Doing so would also eliminate almost all asthma-related emergency hospital visits and preterm births, as well as avoid 262 million annual sick leave days.
Data to impact: Less than a month after the January 2025 event, it was announced that the Bangladesh government would install eight Continuous Air Monitoring Stations (CAMS) at strategic roadside locations in urban hotspots for the first time. The initiative is set to primarily focus on monitoring pollutants from vehicle emissions, a huge contributor to air pollution in cities like Dhaka and Chattogram.
Previously, CREA also provided groups like Bangladesh Working Group on Ecology and Development (BWGED) and CLEAN Bangladesh with a health impact assessment to support their campaign to stop the development of new coal-fired power plants. After many years of resistance and multiple approaches, BWGED and CLEAN Bangladesh successfully blocked Orion’s planned 635 MW coal power plant in Matarbari in 2025, leading to the cancellation of its land lease — a major win for communities, the environment, and justice.
Data is pushing air pollution progress in India
CREA’s monthly India ambient air quality report for February 2024 found Byrnihat, an industrial town notorious for its poor air quality, to be the most polluted city in India.
Data to impact: The following September, the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB) ordered the closure of six industrial units in Byrnihat to tackle the city’s extreme pollution levels.
In 2025, CREA examined the state of flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) systems deployment in India’s coal-fired thermal power plants, revealing delayed enforcement and persistent non-compliance, as well the government’s misuse of scientific studies to justify FGD rollbacks.
Data to impact: The CREA briefings and a viral X post successfully elevated public discourse on the subject, prompting the government to engage and finally issue a statement.
Air pollution deaths related to Ventanas coal plant in Chile
The Ventanas coal-fired complex in Chile is a 544-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plant that currently operates two active units. CREA performed a world first assessment of how emissions from the Ventanas coal-fired complex have affected air quality, public health, and the economy during the plant’s operations from 2013 to 2020.
Over the eight-year period cited above, pollution from the Ventanas complex was associated with an average 563 deaths, 1,117 asthma emergency room visits, 129 low birthweight births, 238 preterm births, 575 years lived with disability, and over 300,000 days of work absences. The cumulative economic burden amounted to an estimated USD 1.4 billion.
Data to impact: The data was featured in an in-depth local documentary exploring the issue. Around the same time, the Chilean government, in a display of institutional responsiveness, publicly acknowledged the report and committed to a review.
What advocates can do to hasten clean air for all
Evidence to empower action
Together with community organisations, advocates should engage with the government using science-backed data to inform a productive dialogue centered on solutions. A collective understanding of data from impacts modeling, ambient air monitoring, and public health research must serve as the foundation to guide policy and protect the community.
Advocates play a vital role in educating stakeholders and raising awareness on the effects of air pollution, emphasising the health effects using science-backed data, as well as the economic costs that will be incurred should countries continue to operate as business as usual.
Consolidating of efforts
Advocates should find and connect with other organizations using science-backed data to strengthen each other’s work and build coalitions with other community members, organisations, and unions..
Since CREA’s founding in 2019, progress has been possible by joining forces with likeminded organisations with similar or corresponding goals. By collaborating with regional partners , CREA has been able to contribute to air pollution dialogue in countries around the world, including China, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and South Africa, among others.
Pursuit of formal avenues to voice citizens rights to clean air
Legal action is also an essential tool for advocating for the right to clean air, a fundamental human right. In many cases, litigation is the only way to generate public attention on an issue that would have otherwise gone unnoticed, and hold institutions accountable.
Advocates can find and support the legal efforts of civil society organisations to pursue change or initiate their own cases where no action is being taken.