It is not possible for local administrative units to meet the clean air benchmark without minimising regional influence; airshed level control strategies are thus necessary to meet clean air targets
The theme chosen for the International Day of Clean Air and Blue Skies this year is “Together for clean air”. The idea is to seek stronger partnerships, increased investments and shared responsibility to mitigate air pollution and public health risks. Regional cooperation becomes critical as air has no boundaries and action cannot be siloed.
Science has made it increasingly clear that pollution from the larger airshed continues to influence and undermine local efforts to mitigate air pollution. Action therefore requires a regional scale. This local-to-regional connect requires cross sector and multi-jurisdictional strategy.
Air is an essential resource for human well-being and vital for the survival of the entire ecosystem.
Unfortunately, factors such as population growth, rapid urbanization, and emissions from industrial and human activities are rapidly degrading air quality and contributing to climate change, particularly in urban areas.
Major contributors to air pollution from anthropogenic sources or human activities in Ghana include transport, industry and human settlement (open burning of electronic/solid waste, use of woodfuels in cooking, etc.)
Air pollution poses significant environmental and health risks, including cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, birth defects, damage to the nervous system, harm to the liver, spleen & blood, cancer, and premature death.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO): In 2019, 99% of the world’s population lived in areas where WHO air quality guidelines were not met.
The combined effects of ambient air pollution and household air pollution result in 6.7 million premature deaths annually.
Outdoor air pollution alone was responsible for an estimated 4.2 million premature deaths
worldwide in 2019. In the particular case of Ghana, available data indicates that :
More than 28,000 people die in Ghana from exposure to air pollution every year (WHO,2020). This number is projected to increase if no action is taken to tackle the issues.
The Statement Is Below
