WRI Air Quality

Understanding local air pollutants is key 🔑 to designing effective solutions. As part of the Clean Air Catalyst (CAC) initiative, our experts 💡 conducted a year‑long study in Indore, India 🇮🇳, using continuous, real‑time monitoring to better understand #BlackCarbon (BC), a critical component of urban air pollution. The findings show clear seasonal patterns 🌧️ — with higher BC levels during winter and post‑monsoon months and lower levels during the monsoon, when dispersion is strongest. The study highlights that most of Indore’s black carbon is linked to fuel‑based activities such as transport and industry. Across seasons, BC contributed a notable share of PM2.5, underscoring its importance for both public health and climate. A significant proportion of this pollution originates within the city itself, pointing to everyday urban activities as key drivers 🛻. CAC was a global partnership focused on building capacity for locally tailored solutions that curb air pollution, tackle climate change and improve human health in Indore, India 🇮🇳; Jakarta, Indonesia 🇮🇩 and Nairobi, Kenya 🇰🇪. Read more ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eT-7k4Q6 Sreekanth Vakacherla Prakash Doraiswamy Bhavay Sharma Azra Khan #BlackCarbon #CleanAirCatalyst #AirQuality

WRI India's emissions inventory for Indore found that the industrial sector accounts for 11% of Indore’s particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution, primarily due to the type of fuels used in boilers. Retrofitting furnaces with more efficient swirl burners, reducing boiler steam pressures, and transitioning from coal-based to electrified combustion are among the solutions recommended to the Indore Municipal Corporation and local businesses as part of the conclusion of the Clean Air Catalyst project in the city. Read more about the roadmap for reducing emissions in Indore's industrial sector here: https://lnkd.in/expFQwqV Bhavay Sharma Laxman Singh/लक्ष्मण सिंह Prakash Doraiswamy Ritesh Patidar

Researchers at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Global Modeling and Assimilation Office recently published a series of test cases using their GEOS-CF model to predict air pollution. WRI's CanAIRy Alert project is featured. You can find the study here: https://lnkd.in/e2TedA2A Go to canairyalert.org for more information about our forecasting tool for cities in low- and middle-income countries. Beatriz Cardenas George Mwaniki (Ph.D.) Ana Cecilia Perales de Dios

IMC Indore has made remarkable progress in solid waste management, as evidenced by its repeated recognition as India’s “Cleanest City” in the annual Swachhata Survekshan Mission. However, a survey of emissions activities in Indore conducted by World Resources Institute India under the Clean Air Catalyst program found that municipal solid waste (MSW) burning accounted for 2.5% of Indore's PM 2.5 emissions. A Solutions Strategy paper prepared by WRI India’s Sanjar Ali, Vandana Tyagi, Shazabe Akhtar, Bhavay Sharma, Prakash Doraiswamy and Azra Khan, with contributions by Ananya Roy (Environmental Defense Fund) and Saurabh Porwal (Vital Strategies) provides recommendations to mitigate air pollution from MSW burning that include: * Awareness programs on the health impacts of open burning * Proper collection of dried leaf and plant trimming waste * Provision of alternative and affordable/subsidized heating * Enhanced MSW management in industrial zones * Mainstreaming scrapers, scrap dealers, and ragpickers in the waste management process to help stop commercial burning. You can find the paper here: https://lnkd.in/eZUnRztg

A summary note from the webinar "Community Power for Clean Air: Lessons in Equity and Inclusion from Nairobi, Indore and Jakarta" is now available. It offers invaluable insights from community leaders, partners, and staff of the Clean Air Catalyst global partnership -- drawing on 5 years of experience in positioning clean air action within broader social justice frameworks. Thank you to all of the collaborators on this initiative, including Jessica Kempner,  Mutiara K., Azra Khan, Fadhil Muhammad Firdaus, Ajay Nagpure, Ph.D., Khalisha M. Qatrunnada GROOTS Kenya Vivan Wangari and Pallavi Pant Download the summary note here: https://lnkd.in/dRbJDZwW or watch the webinar recording here: https://lnkd.in/eac5Ubee

𝗔𝗶𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 is one of the world's biggest public health threats and the second most important risk factor contributing to early death. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘢𝘴 #𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘴? 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦? We can use 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀 (https://lnkd.in/g7ccxM3s) to compare cities on many topics including 2010-2023 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯-𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘗𝘔2.5 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 relative to the WHO guideline pollution level (5 micrograms per cubic meter). Here are a few insights about the included sample of cities, mostly in the Global South. 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗵𝗶 is still the most notoriously polluted city in the world, but has seen marginal improvements. Other Indian cities have seen worsening problems during this time period, notably Surat and Hyderabad. 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗷𝗶𝗻𝗴 has seen a remarkable improvement, moving from second worst in our sample to falling out of the top ten. Other Chinese megacities -- Chengdu, Shanghai, Shenzhen -- have also seen improvements, meaning that China went from three cities among the ten worst in this group to none. The worsening air quality problem in 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀, including Jakarta, is notable. 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 have seen a lot of annual variability, but fast growing cities like Kumasi, Kampala and Musanze are among the most polluted we looked at. 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻'𝘀 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗠𝟮.𝟱 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘇𝗲𝗱, meaning that air pollution remains a significant health threat in all of these cities. There is still much work to be done to clear the air in cities to save lives. 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁 #𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀 for more details on #airpollution in these cities and to explore the indicators on six other themes related to #urban #resilience: https://lnkd.in/gcGebh6x WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, Saif Shabou, PhD, Ted Wong

🌍 Cleaning the Air: Accelerating Global Action At a #UNEA-7 associated event on “Cleaning the Air: Accelerating efforts to improve air quality globally,” partners showcased how regional cooperation under UNEA-6 Resolution 6/10 is driving practical solutions to air pollution while addressing climate, health, and economic needs. George Mwaniki (Ph.D.), WRI Africa’s Head of Air Quality and Kenya Country Representative, joined a panel on accelerating action and highlighted why community and civil society voices are essential in shaping effective air quality policy. Key insights he shared: 🔹 Community engagement uncovers blind spots. Through the Nairobi Air Quality Working Group, WRI helped surface an overlooked issue — hospital waste as a major air pollution source, with no comprehensive national guidance. This led to Nairobi City County passing Kenya’s first hospital waste policy in November 2025, emphasizing non-burn technologies and private-sector involvement. 🔹 Regional standards need collaborative implementation. Stakeholders also underscored the urgency of implementing the East Africa vehicle emissions standards adopted in 2022, which will require stronger private-sector participation to move from policy to action. Dr Mwaniki reminded us that no single approach fits all — scalable clean air solutions come from cross-sector partnerships where each actor brings a unique lever for change. Clean air is achievable when we collaborate, innovate, and listen to communities. 🎥 Watch the recording here https://bit.ly/4iFpks4

Every year around this time, Delhi–NCR’s air quality crisis grabs headlines followed by the implementation of emergency measures. In our desperate attempts to clean the air overnight, we forget that clean air cannot be achieved with quick fixes – it can only be achieved with persistence, robust data systems, clear time-bound targets, and accountability. The creation of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) is a right first step in this direction as it recognizes air pollution as a regional challenge, not a city-specific one. In the latest Hindustan Times opinion piece, my colleague Sree and I make a simple case: clean air must be governed like any other public outcome—with measurable goals and delivery mechanisms. Here's what we recommend: • Adopt a regional target of at least a 30% reduction in PM2.5 concentrations across Delhi–NCR over the next three years. • Translate this target into cross-sectoral monitoring framework with coordinated action across various departments • Build political consensus • Use hyperlocal data to identify pollution hotspots for targeted interventions. • Scale up clean mobility, especially deploying electric buses, implementing fuel efficiency norms and phasing out old polluting vehicles. • Systematically address construction dust and waste burning. To sum it up, we urgently need a delivery framework that links actions to outcomes. The first step is to decide how clean is clean enough, and by when. Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/gy3vj_ec Dr. Virinder Sharma | Shirish Sinha | Sameer Shisodia | Santosh Harish | Anumita Roychowdhury | Sarika Panda Bhatt She/Her | Ashok Jhunjhunwala | Arunabha Ghosh | Madhav Pai | Tejasvi Surya | Shashank Mani | Karthik Ganesan | Mirik Gogri | Anjali Bansal | Jaya Dhindaw | Lung Care Foundation | Anju Goel | Dr. Reji Mathai | Sagnik Dey | Prakash Doraiswamy | Manas Human | Bhavay Sharma | Priyadarshi Singh |Srinivas Alavilli | Sachchida Nand Tripathi | Nithin Kamath

Last week, Nairobi released the Nairobi City County Air Quality Action Plan (2025–2029), the city’s second and most ambitious roadmap towards #CleanAir. The plan outlines targeted, multi-sector actions to reduce pollution and protect public health. City-led action is where clean air solutions become a reality. Nairobi’s leadership sets a strong example for African cities working to safeguard health and climate. Explore the full document: https://lnkd.in/dykpX_hy

Analogy: Air Pollution as the "Monsoon Drainage Problem" Is air pollution heading towards a seasonal drainage crisis, which occurs during the monsoon? - Seasonal Crisis Management: Air pollution has become a temporary concern in winter, much like how drainage issues emerge during the monsoon for both the public and authorities (drain blockages). - Reactive vs Proactive action: Although some efforts are underway behind the scenes to reduce air pollution from various sources, the responsibility and enforcement by different agencies intensify at the start and peak of winter, like GRAP, bans on activities, etc., similar to rainwater flowing through the streets and roads, with desilting work often beginning just before the monsoon arrives. - Temporary Diversions: Often, some solutions are being showcased as an instant remedy to the bigger problem, like smog towers, artificial rain for air pollution, and putting pumps to clear out the drainage system. - My Right to Exercise: Public protests and outcry occur during the winter season regarding high air pollution levels, and only during the monsoon season regarding drainage issues. - Rural Blind Spot: There is a lack of accountability for these issues by agencies in rural areas. Often, we see cities taking the limelight on health impacts related to air pollution. Similarly, village ponds become dumping grounds for waste, and open drainage systems lead to health issues. The larger systematic challenges remain constant and require changes at the governance and ground levels. Of course, there would be larger differences in the functionalities of ULBs to tackle both issues at hand; one requires infrastructural changes, while the other leans towards more systematic change with inter-agency coordination.