Stakeholders urged to intensify campaigns against air pollution

Stakeholders have been urged to intensify campaigns against air pollution which has become a major contributor to diseases, with almost 50 per cent of hospital cases having pollution-related causes.

According to the World Health Organisation, about 99 per cent of the world's population breathe poor air.

The Country Director of Clean Air Fund, a CSO, Desmond Appiah, therefore, called for concerted efforts to deal with the menace since air pollution was a transboundary issue that required collective action from individuals, communities and governments to tackle.

He was speaking in an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra during a conference to commemorate the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies.

It was organised by Green Africa Youth Organisation (GAYO), an NGO, in collaboration with Clean Air Fund and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Conference

The day was commemorated to raise global awareness and also promote solutions to the escalating challenge.

It was on the global theme: “Clean air, collective action: Mobilising for equitable and climate-resilient cities”, emphasising the link between air quality, climate resilience and public well-being.

The event also served as a platform for governments, civil society, the private sector and individuals to reflect on the importance of clean air and take collective action towards its preservation.

In all, 150 mobile air quality sensors were donated to the Greater Accra Coordinating Council to help measure air quality at various localities in the region.

Measures

To combat air pollution, Mr Appiah suggested community-led initiatives such as banning waste burning and promoting cleaner fuels like liquified petroleum gas (LPG).

He also said that there was the need to support EPA and the government to enforce regulations, promote the use of electric buses and ensure regular vehicle maintenance, among other measures.

Impact

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the EPA, Professor Nana Ama Brown-Klutse, established a connection between air pollution and climate change, saying the continuous pollution of air contributed to global warming, leading to devastating impacts such as flooding, droughts and rising sea levels.

She lauded the recent passage of Air Quality Regulation Law 2025, which aimed to guide citizens to maintain clean air environments and also minimise air pollution.

Prof. Brown-Klutse observed that the rich tended to pollute more but suffered less from the impact of climate change due to their ability to adapt.

In contrast, the poor, who contribute less to pollution bear the brunt of its consequences.

She expressed EPA's continued support for such initiatives by NGOs to help promote clean air and address climate change.

For his part, the Zero Waste Project Manager at GAYO, Jacob Johnson Attakpa, emphasised the need for proper waste management in the country.

He said failing to separate waste at source led to high recycling challenges and poor composting, thus exacerbating environmental issues.

“We need funding to be able to do these things.

I understand that many households may not be able to start six bins at a go.

But historically, when you look at the countries that are segregating as much as 15 separate bins, they started with two - wet waste and dry waste.