3.4K Views 3 years ago

Clean Air Aid Funding Surpasses Fossil Fuels for the First Time, Report Reveals

Author Bio

Nicholas Vincent is a passionate environmentalist and freelance writer. He is deeply committed to promoting... Read More

For the first time in history, international aid geared towards promoting clean air has exceeded that allocated for fossil fuel projects, according to a recent report. Nevertheless, clean air initiatives continue to receive less than 1% of global development funds, states the Clean Air Fund, a prominent environmental charity.

Source: TED/YouTube

Airborne toxic particles rank as the fourth leading cause of death worldwide, trailing only factors such as blood pressure, smoking, and dietary habits. Despite this, activists claim that attempts to address this issue have been woefully underfunded.

Jane Burston, Executive Director of the Clean Air Fund, highlighted the multiple benefits of investing in clean air, including improved public health, economic growth, and progress in addressing climate change. She expressed, “If there’s one area that delivers maximum return on investment, it’s funding clean air.”

The findings revealed a significant decline in fossil fuel-related international aid, which plummeted from $11.9bn in 2019 to about $1.5bn (£1.2bn) in 2021. Meanwhile, funds for addressing outdoor air pollution surged to $2.3bn. However, between 2015 and 2021, only 1% of global development funding and 2% of international public climate financing were directed towards clean air initiatives.

Though the trend toward supporting clean air is positive, Burston emphasized that funding growth is slow and began from a small baseline. Additionally, the allocation of resources has often bypassed regions most in need. Between 2017 and 2021, Africa, home to half of the top ten nations with the most severe air Pollution, received a mere 5% of air quality funding. In contrast, five Asian nations—China, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Mongolia, and Pakistan—accounted for 86% of these funds.

Estimates suggest that millions die annually due to air Pollution resulting from fossil fuel combustion. Other contributors to this crisis include agricultural fertilizers, vehicular dust, and various natural factors.

The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that outdoor air Pollution resulted in 4.2 million premature deaths in 2019. Predominantly, these fatalities occur in lower and middle-income nations, where many lack access to electricity and the initial costs of clean energy sources are prohibitive, despite being more economical in the long run.

Several countries have made notable progress. China, for instance, declared an anti-Pollution campaign in 2014, reducing fine particulate levels by 40% over a decade. Consequently, Beijing’s residents are projected to enjoy an average lifespan increase of four years, as per the Air Quality Life Index of the University of Chicago.

However, developed nations aren’t exempt from the perils of polluted air. A recent Guardian investigation uncovered that 98% of Europeans are inhaling air that violates WHO’s pollutant standards.

Zorana Jovanovic Andersen, an epidemiologist from the University of Copenhagen, stressed the urgency of shifting the costs and consequences of Pollution from the general public and healthcare sector to the responsible polluters.