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Climate activists are eagerly awaiting Thursday’s kick-off of the virtual Earth Day Summit hosted by United States President Joe Biden, hoping that a more planet-friendly administration will mark a giant leap forward in US leadership on what many see as the defining challenge of our times.
During the two-day confab involving some 40 nations, the US is expected to announce an aggressive new target for curbing carbon emissions by 2030. World leaders are also expected to keep twisting Brazil’s arm to crack down on deforestation in the Amazon region. And bilateral discussions if successful could compel Japan, China, South Korea or Canada to announce new aspirations for meeting goals consistent with the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate.
February 14, 2021 Share
OpenAQ, a global non-profit NGO aiming to build the world’s largest repository of air quality data, has announced a new pilot platform integrating low-cost sensors that will enable citizens to track air quality and fight air pollution in their local communities.
New data shows global air pollution on the rise
It is estimated that 90% of the world suffers from harmful levels of air pollution, with the problems particularly acute in urban areas in the Global South, affecting some of the least well-off communities. A recent investigation into the largest cities in the world showed that the average annual level of PM2.5 air pollution was 39 ug/m3, nearly 4 times higher than the World Health Organization guidelines (10 ug/m3). The worst affected cities were in Asia – Lahore (Pakistan), Delhi (India), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Ahmedabad (India) and Xi’an (China) having the highest levels measured, according to OpenAQ.