On 18 March 2021, the World Resources Institute (WRI) hosted a webinar on "Accelerating Clean Air Solutions to Deliver Better Health, Climate and Development Outcomes". Air pollution is the greatest environmental threat to human health – causing more than 6 million premature deaths each year. Poor air quality affects nearly every organ in the body and increases vulnerability to infectious disease and asthma. And it has profound impacts on climate agriculture productivity, food security, biodiversity, climate, and economic development.
The Clean Air Catalyst is a new flagship program of USAID and a global consortium of organizations led by WRI and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). The program is working with communities to better understand local pollution sources and identify solutions that lead to sustained progress on cleaner, healthier air. The program will begin with pilots in three cities: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Indore, India; and Jakarta, Indonesia.
To mark the official launch, a virtual conversation on the topic of "Accelerating Clean Air Solutions to Deliver Better Health, Climate and Development Outcomes" featuring representatives from USAID, WRI, EDF as well as pilot city partners.