Cleaning up the air we breathe – seizing the urgent business opportunity for action and collaboration
Air pollution is the single biggest environmental risk to our health in the UK and globally. The raging wildfires in Canada are a stark reminder of the harms of toxic air – and the inextricable link between the health of people and planet.
Cleaning up our air is vital for many reasons: alongside the benefits for our physical health and the planet, of course, it can also protect our mental and brain health. The physical health impacts of air pollution – such as asthma, heart disease and cancers – have been recognised for decades. More recently, researchers are beginning to understand how air pollution can affect the brain and the mind.
When we breathe polluted air, small pollution particles can enter through our lungs into our bloodstream and can reach the brain. This can make us more likely to develop brain and mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety and dementia, as well as having a negative impact on cognitive function and cognitive performance.
“Now that we’re closer to understanding how air pollution impacts our mental and brain health and its burden on all our health, it’s extremely important that we tackle air pollution.”
Dr Malcolm White, Clean Air Specialist, Global Action Plan
Taking steps to address this pressing challenge
Air pollution is an urgent sustainability challenge that demands the business community’s immediate attention as an explicit corporate responsibility. Companies need not only to start assessing and acting on their air pollution footprint in and around their real estate, but they also need to consider how their business model may be inadvertently contributing to greater levels of harmful air pollution.
Global Action Plan has created a Clean Air mapping framework that acts as a great starting point for addressing your business’ own unique opportunity to outline its impacts on air pollution and develop suitable mitigating actions to address them.
With your impacts mapped out, the next step is to take action…
Key actions that make a big impact for people and planet!
1. Action on air pollution will help deliver Net Zero
Climate change and air pollution are interlinked, and taking steps to improve our air quality will also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Renewable energy, more active travel, fewer and cleaner cars on the roads – these are all solutions that have the dual benefit of protecting human health from harmful air pollution as well as combating climate change.
As businesses accelerate their transition to Net Zero, there is an opportunity to make sure that we’re achieving a ‘win-win’ on health and the environment. A Royal Society report provides scientific evidence to support policies designed to maximise air quality benefits at the same time as making progress towards Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The related summary presents policies with clear co-benefits for both air quality and climate change, and also identifies possible mitigation measures that could be considered alongside Net Zero.
“We believe in creating solutions that have a greater impact on the planet, people and the way we live that simultaneously support both Net Zero and air quality improvements.”
James Moat, CEO, Evyve.com
2. Recognising the impact on cognitive performance
New research into a lack of fresh air and business brain fog has been conducted by Durham University Business School alongside Beijing Jiaotong University. It found that firms based in a city with high levels of air pollution have much lower efficiency when it comes to corporate investments. The pollution, the researchers say, adversely impacts managers’ mood, judgement and decision-making on corporate investments. As a result, firms are risking their profits.
This carries implications for anyone who makes decisions under pressure in polluted areas, and may increase the global economic cost associated with air pollution. The World Bank estimates this cost to be US$8.1 trillion (£6.7 trillion) each year.
3. Supporting staff wellbeing
The UK would gain three million working days (thanks to fewer sick days) and £1.6 billion per year in economic benefits if it met the World Health Organization’s (WHO) air quality guidelines, according to CBI Economics research in 2020. These benefits would be even greater under the stricter guidelines released by the WHO more recently.
“Recognising the negative impacts that indoor air quality can have on people’s health, we're working alongside others to create what we call ‘buildings as safe havens’.”
Martin Fahey, Head of Sustainability, Mitsubishi Electric
Collaboration is key - impact partnership opportunities
Global Action Plan works at the intersection of human and planetary health, collaborating with funders, partners and donors across the world to mainstream the positive narratives that demonstrate the reality of a healthy future for all.
Alongside our partners, we engage directly with sector challenges and the systems that underpin them. Together we’re able to share collective insight and change initiatives with people, communities and decision makers to deliver impact at a scale none of us could deliver alone. In short, we mobilise movements.
“Clean air is a societal challenge that requires action and collaboration across sectors to help protect health and tackle climate change. We need business to both cut air pollution emissions and develop innovation solutions to enable clean air lifestyles, in the same way that leading companies have grasped carbon reduction.”
Larissa Lockwood, Director of Clean Air, Global Action Plan
Across the next 12 months, our dedicated Clean Air team will be focusing on the areas of biggest impact for improved air quality in the UK, for the benefit of people and planet. Alongside partners, we will be:
- Exploring transformative opportunities for sectoral change across industries through collaboration with businesses committed to improving air quality.
- Working alongside businesses who supply/support schools and the education sector to develop a national air pollution strategy for schools.
- Campaigning for home heating and cooking choices to be publicly recognised as sources of indoor air pollution, working alongside businesses to highlight solutions in both domestic and commercial settings.
To explore working with us to deliver these impactful shifts, contact me at [email protected]
OFFICIAL PARTNERS OF CLEAN AIR DAY 2023 are Mitsubishi Electric, Evyve and Chiesi, whose kind support has funded the delivery of this year’s campaign – thank you!