In a message to mark World Environment Day, celebrated on Wednesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has emphasized the link between worsening levels of air pollution and the climate crisis.
Cars have replaced bicycles as the primary means of transport in many Chinese cities but, with air pollution a major problem for the country, the bike is making a comeback, thanks to digital technology, and some 21st Century thinking.
An independent UN expert said on Monday that the failure of governments across the world to ensure clear air, constitutes a “violation of the rights to life, health and well-being, as well as the right to live in a healthy environment.”
Approximately 300 million children, or one in seven youngsters globally, are living in areas of the world with the most toxic levels of outdoor air pollution, according to a report by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Air pollution is linked to pneumonia and other respiratory diseases that can kill children or affect their development, with poor children being most affected.