WHO’s First Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health, 30 October - 1 November 2018

A letter from the Life After Coal Campaign to the South African Minister of Health inquiring about the Minister's participation in the WHO's First Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health and highlighting the severe health and economic costs of air pollution in South Africa.

• The Life After Coal Campaign, comprising the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), groundWork (gW), and Earthlife Africa, requested confirmation on whether the South African National Department of Health and the Minister of Health would attend the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s First Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health, scheduled for 30 October – 1 November 2018, under the theme “Improving air quality, combatting climate change – saving lives”.
• Air quality in South Africa frequently exceeds ambient air quality standards (AAQS), particularly in the Waterberg-Bojanala, Highveld, and Mpumalanga priority areas. Despite the Vaal Triangle Airshed and Highveld Priority Areas being designated as priority areas over ten years ago to reduce pollution, levels remain dangerous for human health.
• Air pollution is linked to non-communicable diseases, with approximately 25% of heart attack deaths and 33% of deaths from stroke, lung cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease attributed to exposure. The document notes that many South African AAQS are significantly weaker than the WHO's 2005 guidelines.
• Coal-fired power generation is a primary source of air pollution and climate change in South Africa, with Eskom and Sasol identified as the largest emitters of regulated criteria pollutants. A 2016 assessment by Dr Mike Holland regarding PM2.5 emissions from Eskom's coal-fired power stations estimated annual impacts including 2,239 deaths, 9,533 cases of bronchitis in children (aged 6 to 12), 2,379 hospital admissions, and 996,628 lost working days.
• The total economic costs associated with the health impacts of PM2.5 emissions from Eskom's coal-fired power stations are estimated to exceed USD 2 billion per year. These figures do not include impacts from coal mining, coal transport, water contamination, or other pollutants from Eskom stations.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2018). WHO’s First Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health, 30 October - 1 November 2018. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/LAC-letter-to-Min-DoH-WHO-First-Global-Conference.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. WHO’s First Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health, 30 October - 1 November 2018. 2018. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/LAC-letter-to-Min-DoH-WHO-First-Global-Conference.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=WHO’s First Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health, 30 October - 1 November 2018 |date=20 August 2018 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/LAC-letter-to-Min-DoH-WHO-First-Global-Conference.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrights2018whos, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{WHO’s First Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health, 30 October - 1 November 2018}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2018}, month = aug, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/LAC-letter-to-Min-DoH-WHO-First-Global-Conference.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }