UNEP urges Africa to prioritize solutions for monitoring air pollution. /CFP
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on Thursday urged African governments to prioritize solutions for monitoring air pollution.
Rose Mwebaza, UNEP's regional director for Africa, said that governments need to invest in contextualizing the progress made and the unique challenges and solutions in monitoring air pollution and assessing the impacts.
"In the face of growing inequality on pollution, a significant burden of air pollution-related deaths occurs in Africa, making it incumbent for all of us to strive for a clean and habitable environment," Mwebaza said during the celebrations marking the fourth International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies in Nakuru, northwestern Kenya.
Mwebaza said that 383,419 deaths that occurred in 2019 as a result of ambient air pollution across Africa could have been avoided if solutions were in place.
The UNEP official noted that even though household air pollution is declining, it still accounts for 60 percent of all air pollution-related deaths across Africa where polluting fuels such as charcoal and kerosene are prevalent.
She said that the UNEP is partnering with governments and organizations to make addressing air pollution and its attendant consequences a priority.
Visiting Philip Osano, center director for Africa at the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), observed that air pollution poses a severe threat to public health, the environment and economic well-being.
Osano noted that cities and urban areas across the world are at risk of air pollution-related problems.
He said that the SEI is willing to support the national governments and other institutions with the science to enable them to make sound decisions to address air quality and climate change issues for the betterment of the people.
The event, which is observed on September 7 each year, serves as a rallying point to highlight the importance of clean air and advocate for sustainable solutions to air pollution.