Actions on Air Quality: A Global Summary of Policies and Programmes to Reduce Air Pollution - Executive Summary. Advance Draft

In 2019, 92 percent of the world’s population experienced PM2.5 concentrations in excess of the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline of 10 µg/m3 1 . Without policy interventions, exposure to PM2.5 would increase by 50 per cent by 2030. This would severely compromise lives and the quality of life of the population. This report provides a review of policy actions of Member States per the mandate provided by UNEA Resolution 3/8 on Preventing and reducing air pollution to improve air quality globally2 . This report builds on the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 2016 report ‘Actions on Air Quality’3 which provided an overview of actions undertaken by countries around the world, focusing on a set of measures that if adopted would significantly improve air quality. This new report is based on data collected in 2020 through a detailed survey shared with member states, supplemented with relevant literature documenting key actions being undertaken by governments around the world to improve air quality. The report is complemented by regional reports documenting more in-depth actions in key sectors as well as regional trends and priorities.