A new collaborative framework between SEI and the Secretariat of Environment of Bogotá creates an integrated roadmap, linking Bogotá’s local government health agenda with the negative impacts of climate change and air pollution. The initiative aims to enhance outdoor air quality and public health in Bogotá.
Over the past decade, Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, has experienced high concentrations of air pollutants, including particulate matter (PM). These pollutants, consisting of particles like dust, dirt and liquid droplets, contributed to approximately 2 320 premature deaths in the city in 2019. Recognizing this urgent issue, all relevant institutions in Bogotá have combined efforts to improve air quality and public health.
By December 2023, the local government implemented over 20 actions to enhance air quality. These included renewing the public transport fleet with low and zero emissions technologies and transitioning the manufacturing industry from coal and diesel to natural gas. Cross-cutting measures involved the implementation of Urban Zones for Better Air and updating contingency protocols to reduce high air pollution exposure. Consequently, the 2020 emissions inventory showed a 26% reduction in particulate matter compared to 2018, and air quality monitoring reflected a decrease in black carbon levels from 2018 to 2023.
Despite significant efforts, there has been limited comprehensive study on the potential health and well-being improvements from ongoing and planned actions. Black carbon, a component of particulate matter emitted from incomplete combustion processes of fossil fuels and biomass, is a short-lived climate pollutant (SLCP) with a relatively brief atmospheric lifetimes. Strategies to mitigate its emission can significantly reduce pollution’s climate impacts. Therefore, an in-depth analysis is crucial to assess the joint impact of black carbon emissions, air pollution and climate change mitigation on impact public health.
Since 2016, the Government of Colombia has received support from SEI and Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) in reducing SLCPs, including black carbon. This support extends to capacity building for implementing the National strategy for the mitigation of short-lived climate pollutants. Additionally, Colombia included in its 2020 National Determined Contribution (NDC) to reduce black carbon emissions by 40% from 2014 levels. Achieving this target necessitates subnational assessments and public awareness to integrate this pollutant into planning and monitoring processes.
National and subnational planning is key to designing efficient actions to reduce SLCPs. In this context, Bogotá’s “Plan Aire 2030” (Strategic Plan for Integrated Management of Air Quality) serves as a tool for the local government to manage and decrease air pollution through strategic decisions and actions.
In December 2023, SEI and the Secretariat of Environment of Bogotá signed an agreement for collaborative research and a framework that unites Bogotá’s climate change, air pollution and health agenda to enhance air quality. Researchers at SEI’s York centre will use SEI’s SEI’s Low Emissions Analysis Platform (LEAP) tool to develop local emissions scenarios and mitigation assessments. This research will identify opportunities for mitigation by integrating assessments of air and climate pollutants and quantifying the health and economic co-benefits of air quality improvements.
Essentially, the project will ensure a comprehensive understanding of the interactions between the climate change, air quality and health agendas in Bogotá, in doing so, improve the available information (such as emission inventories and black carbon air quality monitoring) and its application to inform decision-making and policy formulation as research results will propose mitigation or adaptation policies to support subsequent decision-making, for clean air and climate policy.
Jennifer Pedraza, SEI Research Associate and principal co-investigator on the project
SEI’s Latin America centre will facilitate collaboration between experts from SEI York and the air quality and climate change teams of SDA in Colombia. SEI possesses the expertise and tools to strengthen institutional capacity for reducing black carbon emissions and maintaining the black carbon monitoring network.
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