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Beth Elliott: beth.elliott@wri.org
News
Grassroot Actions Against Polluted Skies: How Jakarta's Urban Villages Tackle Air Pollution
On a Sunday afternoon last September, a group of about 30 individuals, including a group of mostly female neighbors from 9 kampungs (urban villages) in the greater Jakarta area, joined community activists, NGO representatives focused on serving the urban poor, and air pollution experts to participate in a Learning Circle organized by Clean Air Catalyst, a USAID-funded project led by WRI Indonesia. The workshop consisted of two days of lessons about the importance of air quality and monitoring, and a day of field visits to four kampungs.
Workshop Spotlights Role of Women and Girls as Clean Air Champions in Indore
In December, Clean Air Catalyst’s Indore team organized a gender empowerment and training workshop titled "Women in Clean Air." The goal of the workshop was to bring together women and air quality experts from across government, civil society, and the private sector to highlight the ways that women and girls are uniquely impacted by air quality and to generate ideas for how proposed policy solutions can better combat gender disparities in air pollution exposure.
Q&A with Pushyamitra Bhargav, Mayor of Indore, India
An in-depth interview with Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav about the city’s ongoing work to combat air pollution with Clean Air Catalyt’s Sudhir Gore.
Clean Air Catalyst Nairobi Joins 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence
To commemorate 16 days of activism this year the Clean Air Catalyst partnered with Vital Strategies, Nairobi City County Government, Uraia Trust and GROOTS-Kenya to host the Women’s Dialogue Conference.
Clean Air Catalyst Jakarta leads a Learning Circles Workshop
WRI Indonesia through the Clean Air Catalyst collaborates with local partners to address air pollution sources, notably transportation. The Catalyst led a Learning Circle workshop, combining Women Empowerment Workshops and Gender Equality Training to engage diverse stakeholders, fostering understanding and advocacy.
Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav Participates in COP28
Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav is scheduled to visit Dubai on November 30 to take part in the World Climate Action Summit, with the esteemed presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Imagining a Healthier Diwali: Why some families are moving away from firecrackers
During the days of Diwali, there is much discussion about the pollution caused by fireworks, but there are a few rare individuals who ardently contribute at a personal level to fight against air pollution. Meet some of these clean air champions.
Nairobi Highlights Air Quality During Africa Climate Week
Against the backdrop of the Africa Union Climate Action Summit and Africa Climate Week, Nairobi hosted the UN Environment Programme’s fourth annual International Clean Air Day for blue skies event with H.E. Governor Sakaja Johnson on September 7th, 2023. This year’s theme, “#Together for Clean Air” (in Swahili, #PamojaKwaHewaSafi), focused on the need for strong partnerships, increased investment and shared responsibility to overcome air pollution.
Q&A with Harshika Singh, Commissioner, Indore Municipal Corporation
In a recent interview with Ms. Harshika Singh, Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC)’s Commissioner, Sudhir Gore, Clean Air Catalyst’s Lead Communication Consultant, delved into the current air quality situation in Indore and the city's ambitious plans to become a model of clean air and sustainable urban development.
Black Gold: How Sale of Catalytic Converters Puts Lives in Danger
On a hot Friday midmorning, Mary Muthoni pulls in at a Roysambu roadside garage in Nairobi’s Kasarani in a red Nissan Juke. She wants the vehicle’s catalytic converter removed.
7 Things to Know About Jakarta’s Air Pollution Crisis
Air pollution spikes in the months of June, July and August are a regular feature of life in Jakarta, occurring annually with the onset of the dry season, following monsoonal patterns. This is when a lack of moisture in the atmosphere and other meteorological conditions combine with high emissions, mostly from the transport and industry sectors, to produce dangerously high levels of pollution. This year, El Niño and ever-rising human emissions have created an especially dangerous spike in pollution.
The Importance of Open Data for Improving Air Quality
More data are needed to make informed decisions about the many social, economic, and environmental challenges we face, including the fact that 99% of the world’s population is breathing unhealthy air. As Clean Air Catalyst develops and advances solutions toward cleaner air in Indore, Jakarta and Nairobi, data plays a key role. The local teams in these cities synthesize existing data with new data, analyze the data and integrate the findings with other scientific evidence and qualitative information to create a more complete understanding of who is being impacted by air pollution.
The Clean Air Catalyst Approach to Air Quality Monitoring
Clean Air Catalyst (Catalyst) operates under the theory that when people understand how pollution impacts them and their loved ones and what sources of pollution are affecting the air they breathe, they will have greater motivation to demand clean air and greater expertise to create solutions. Expanding air quality monitoring and connecting it to the sources and impacts of air pollution is a key component of the Catalyst’s data-to-action approach for Indore, India, Jakarta, Indonesia and Nairobi, Kenya, as explained below:
How Indore Became #1 in India’s 2023 Swachh Vaayu Survey (Clean Air Survey)
After a 6-year unbeaten run as India's cleanest city in terms of urban sanitation, Indore has attained a noteworthy milestone by achieving success in another national cleanliness survey. In the Central Pollution Control Board's Swachh Vaayu Sarvekshan (Clean Air Survey) of 2023, among cities with a population of over one million, Indore has secured the first position.
Cutting-Edge Air Quality Stations in Indore Initiate Data Sharing for Cleaner Air
Indore, India received promising news this month regarding its high-precision air quality monitoring stations, which clocked their sixth month providing valuable data for research purposes. In a collaborative effort by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Clean Air Catalyst, and the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC), three advanced air quality monitoring stations were deployed in February last year.
Clean Air Catalyst Recognized by Indore District Administration during Independence Day Celebrations
On the occasion of India’s 77th Independence Day, the Indore district administration extended its appreciation to the Clean Air Catalyst project for its remarkable contribution towards enhancing the air quality of Indore.
इंदौर की वायु गुणवत्ता सुधारने में योगदान के लिए क्लीन एयर कैटलिस्ट सम्मानित
इंदौर: 77वें स्वतंत्रता दिवस के विशेष अवसर पर आयोजित एक भव्य समारोह के दौरान इंदौर जिला प्रशासन ने क्लीन एयर कैटलिस्ट प्रोजेक्ट को नगरीय क्षेत्र में वायु गुणवत्ता सुधार हेतु सराहनीय योगदान के लिए सम्मानित किया।
Clean Air Catalyst Partner Internews Leads Workshop, Trains 30 Journalists to Report on Air Pollution in Nairobi, Kenya
At the 2018 UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, the World Health Organisation presented alarming new data revealing 9 out of 10 people breathe air containing high levels of pollutants and around 7 million people every year die from exposure to fine particles in polluted air. This threat has not abated, cities around the world remain at the frontlines of this interlinked health and climate crisis.
Nairobi City County Assembly Members Focus on the Links Between Clean Air and Climate in Two-Day Clean Air Catalyst Workshop
In April, 25 elected members of the Nairobi City County Assembly joined representatives from the Nairobi Air Quality Working Group (N-AIR), Nairobi City County Government and other stakeholders in a two-day workshop focused on better understanding the links between air quality and climate change.
Vital Strategies Leads Air Pollution and Healthcare Workshop for Nairobi’s Health Professionals
The Clean Air Catalyst, alongside partner Vital Strategies, held a workshop focused on the relationship between air pollution and health for public health officials from each sub-county in Nairobi on April 20 and 21.