Dear ERS members and the wider respiratory healthcare community,
Did you know that as a respiratory healthcare professional, you can play an important part in preventing air pollution?
The European Respiratory Society (ERS) and the European Lung Foundation (ELF) have partnered with the World Health Organization (WHO) with the aim of doing just that.
Along with the WHO and the global health community, ERS and ELF are calling for immediate action from governments, business leaders and policymakers to prevent air pollution, save lives and reduce the vast economic burden it poses on society. You can make a difference yourself by signing the urgent call to action.
Air pollution is the single most important risk factor for mortality – even more so than high blood pressure and smoking, contributing to a global health crisis. Most air pollution-related deaths are caused by noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular issues, respiratory diseases and lung cancer.
In addition, the global health cost of air pollution was estimated at US$ 8.1 trillion in 2019. To put this in comparison, this is even more than the US federal budget in 2022 (US$ 6.3 trillion).
This is unacceptable – and it is also preventable. This is where you come in.
Breathing clean air is essential for everyone to live – it is also a basic human right. Among the key actions that we call on policymakers to take immediately are:
- Enforce robust measures such as strict air quality standards, reduce emissions at source, and align with WHO’s global air quality guidelines.
- Governments and businesses must commit to a transition to clean energy which is fair, inclusive and accessible to all.
- Improve monitoring systems and institutional capacity to effectively address air quality challenges.
- Increase funding: boost both domestic and international funding to elevate clean air as a priority on global and national agendas.
- Build intersectoral collaboration: create and support interdisciplinary and multisectoral workforce development, awareness-raising and training initiatives that empower communities and stakeholders to tackle air pollution effectively.
There is still a huge amount of work to be done to prevent air pollution, but the reward for doing so will be significant.
As Advocacy Council Chair of ERS, of which you are a valued member, I encourage you to join our call for urgent action. By doing so, you will help to drive the change needed to protect public health from the ever-increasing threat of air pollution.
Make a difference and sign the call to action online.
This call to action also comes ahead of the Second WHO Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health in Cartagena, Colombia (25–27 March, 2025), an event in which ERS and ELF will be actively participating.
Yours faithfully,
Professor Doctor Barbara Hoffmann
Advocacy Council Chair, European Respiratory Society