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Have you ever thought of investing into something inviaible, like our air? Earth Day is every year on 22 April, and the theme this year is Invest In Our Planet. Let’s take a glimpse of some international investments to reduce air pollution.
Japan was the first country to announce a national strategy on hydrogen in 2017, aiming to decrease the dependency on fossil fuels, which emit a considerable amount of air pollutants during combustion. Alongside, the Japanese Government released the Green Innovation Fund of 2 trillion yen 3 years later, in which innovative business projects like the utilization of hydrogen in the steel-making process were funded to increase the employment of non-air polluting energy.
Nearly half of the citizens in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, were living in informal settlements, where raw coals were used in their daily lives, marking it the most polluted capital city. As support to clean air, the Asian Development Bank financially aided Ulaanbaatar in boosting the government’s National Program and the regulatory framework on air quality management, and implementing systems and policies to ease air pollution. A total of $290 million was loaned and a remarkable reduction of particulate matters was recorded after the investment.
While substantial emissions from factories are contaminating the inhaling air in other cities of Chile, the pollution source in Santiago, the capital of Chile, is mainly from the transportation sector. Santiago has a well-established public and private air monitoring system supported by public funding allocated by the government. Chile’s national monitoring network integrates both public and private monitoring data and currently has already derived over 100 measures to clean up the air.
Clean-air projects aren’t only limited overseas, local organizations are also endeavoring for a clear sky. Clean Air Network has been cooperating with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Institute for the Environment for the project Clean Air for Schools Hong Kong. After data collection for over 6 months, we would be moving to the next stage of launching the “Clean Air Schools Action Framework” helping the participating schools to create an action plan to improve the air quality on the campus for our children. Stay tuned to the release.
Clean air matters for a sustainable future and your encouragement can be extended beyond Earth Day. Support local environmental organizations and clean-air projects to invest in a deserving breathable future.
Akimoto, D. (2023). Japan Looks to Promote a Hydrogen Society. Retrieved from https://thediplomat.com/2023/01/japan-looks-to-promote-a-hydrogen-society/
Asian Development Bank (2021). Mongolia’s Ulaanbaatar Breathes Easier After Cleanup of Air Quality. Retrieved from https://www.adb.org/results/mongolias-ulaanbaatar-breathes-easier-after-cleanup-air-quality
Environmental Defence Fund. (2020). Public investment, private innovation: The global market for air quality monitoring. Retrieved from https://business.edf.org/files/AQ-Landscape_Web.pdf
