Clean air is a valuable economic asset. Here are 4 steps to achieve it

The authors argue that air pollution is a critical but overlooked issue in international negotiations, causing 8 million deaths annually. They propose four steps to address the crisis: making the economic case for clean air, reforming and scaling finance, creating a network of institutions for local solutions, and implementing standardized monitoring. The text highlights that air pollution costs the global economy $8.1 trillion in health damages and disproportionately affects low- and middle-income countries.

• Air pollution has severe global health and economic consequences, resulting in over 8 million annual deaths worldwide and an estimated $8.1 trillion in global health damage costs according to the World Bank.
• The economic impact of air pollution includes a projected loss of 3.8 billion working days annually by 2060. In India specifically, air pollution is estimated to cost businesses $95 billion every year.
• International funding for outdoor air pollution is insufficient and poorly distributed; only 1% of international development funding and 2% of international public climate finance are dedicated to the issue. Furthermore, 86% of this funding is concentrated in five Asian countries, while African countries receive only 5% despite having five of the top 10 most polluted countries per capita.
• Most financial support for air pollution mitigation in developing economies is provided as loans (92%), which is problematic for countries already burdened by debt.
• The 'Our Common Air' commission proposes four key actions: quantifying the economic benefits of clean air, scaling and reforming finance, establishing a network of institutions (particularly in the Global South) for local analysis, and implementing standardized progress monitoring.

APA

Ghosh, A., & Burston, J. (2024). Clean air is a valuable economic asset. Here are 4 steps to achieve it. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/clean-air-valuable-economic-asset/

Chicago

Ghosh, Arunabha, and Jane Burston. Clean air is a valuable economic asset. Here are 4 steps to achieve it. World Economic Forum, 2024. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/clean-air-valuable-economic-asset/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Ghosh |first1=Arunabha |last2=Burston |first2=Jane |title=Clean air is a valuable economic asset. Here are 4 steps to achieve it |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=16 January 2024 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/clean-air-valuable-economic-asset/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{ghosh2024clean, author = {Ghosh, Arunabha and Burston, Jane}, title = {{Clean air is a valuable economic asset. Here are 4 steps to achieve it}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2024}, month = jan, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/clean-air-valuable-economic-asset/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }