First International Day of Clean Air For Blue Skies
The world is celebrating the very first International Day of Clean Air for blue skies, today on September 7th, 2020. The United Nations General Assembly adopted the resolution to hold an International Day of Clean Air for blue skies on December 19, 2019, during its 74th session.
UNGA also invited the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to facilitate the observance of the International Day, in collaboration with other relevant organizations. The Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) worked with UNEP and the Republic of Korea to advocate for the day in the lead up to the decision. The first celebration will set a precedent for an important and exciting new international day for clean air to be celebrated annually.
Objectives of Celebrating International day of Clean Air For Blue Skies
The Day aims to:
- Raise public awareness at all levels—individual, community, corporate and government—that clean air is important for health, productivity, the economy and the environment.
- Demonstrate the close link of air quality to other environmental/developmental challenges such as – most and foremost – climate change and the global Sustainable Development Goals.
- Promote and facilitate solutions that improve air quality by sharing actionable knowledge best practices, innovations, and success stories.
- Bring together diverse international actors working on this topic to form a strategic alliance to gain momentum for concerted national, regional and international approaches for effective air quality management.
International Day of Clean Air For Blue Skies in India
Union Environment Minister, Shri Prakash Javadekar will be chairing a webinar on the first-ever International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies on September 7, 2020. Shri Javadekar will also be reviewing the progress of the activities under National Clean Air programme (NCAP) during the course of the webinar.
Breathe Life Campaign
BreatheLife is a joint campaign led by the WHO, United Nations Environment and the Climate & Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) to mobilize cities and individuals to protect our health and planet from the effects of air pollution. The campaign combines public health and climate change expertise with guidance on implementing solutions to air pollution in support of global development goals.
The global campaign covers three core strategic goals:
- Engage citiy, subnational and national governments to commit to achieving WHO Air Quality Guidelines by 2030
- Halve the number of air pollution related deaths by 2030
- Slow the pace of climate change by 0.5 degrees Celsius by 2050
