According to the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights and the environment, Air pollution has long been an environmental and health problem – but now it should be viewed as a human rights issue as well. Air pollution is leading to 7 million premature deaths a year around the world, including 600,000 among children.
Boyd, a professor of law, policy and sustainability at the University of British Columbia says that, “We’ve addressed some types of air pollution in some places, and so a lot of the air pollution that we’re dealing with today you can’t really smell it, you can’t see it. It’s these really microscopic particles that people are inhaling into their lungs”.
One crucial solution is ending the use of coal-fired power plants; something rich countries should be able to do by 2030.
It also includes monitoring air quality, identifying the main sources of air pollution, educating and engaging the public about air pollution, and enacting legislation, regulations and standards that can be enforced to limit pollution.
Making it a human right can really empower the billions of people around the world who have been fighting for their right to breathe clean air. If governments act on air pollution they can not only save lives immediately but also effectively act to curb climate change. “What we want governments to do is take preventative action, not just act once they’ve been sued in court or once people are getting sick”.
Image Courtesy: The Economic Times
