air pollution Archives

Panoramic Bangkok skyline with temple rooftops and dense urban buildings in haze.

Asia’s clean air gains: what can other cities learn?

Perspective / SEI researcher Gary Haq shares his perspective in an ADB blog on tackling urban air pollution through data, targeted action, investment and cooperation.

11 November 2026 / About Cities

People walk through waste in a smoke-filled landscape in Burundi, highlighting pollution.

African countries could save billions by cutting air pollution and greenhouse gases at the same time

Perspective / Originally published in The Conversation, this article explores how emission cuts can improve public health, tackle climate change and boost Africa's economy.

2 November 2026 / About Pollution

Martina Otto of the CCAC, standing on the stage in a black dress and blue backdrop decalring the conference open.

COP31 and super pollutants: lessons on turning climate commitments into action

Feature / Ahead of COP31, SEI researchers explore how to turn commitments into action by scaling proven solutions to reduce super pollutants and improve air quality.

27 October 2026 / About Pollution and Short lived climate pollutants

Boy sitting in front of a small electric fan in a school classroom.

An Atmosphere for Learning? (CHILI seminar)

Past event / Watch the fourth CHILI seminar where Smriti Safaya presented findings on educational, behavioural, and communication interventions to improve school air.

05 October 2026 / About Cities and Pollution

Landscape view of an informal settlement - Mukuru - in Nairobi, Kenya. Cattle graze in the foreground, in the middle distance there are corrugated iron buildings and multiple telegraph poles standing between. A factory dominates the background, with smoke spreading across the dwellings in front of it.

Young people’s experiences of breathing, air pollution and respiratory health in a large African city

Journal article / "Breathing well" is about more than air quality: cleanliness, population and building density and the presence of vegetation all make a difference.

2 October 2026 / About Cities and Pollution

Peter Akpos's hands are covered in soot from the abattoir. Peter is a roaster who has worked for 18 years at AGIP abattoir in Port Harcourt, where cow skins are burned over open fires. Peter is exposed to thick smoke almost every day as part of his work. Despite the health risks, Peter continues this labor to support himself and his family, reflecting the daily realities of workers in the local meat processing industry. Rivers State, Nigeria. January 6 2026.

Air quality science: the story of our research group

Feature / Discover how air quality research since the 1990s has shaped policy and highlighted the health, economic and social benefits of addressing air pollution.

21 September 2026 / About Pollution

Women from Majhora Village, in the Mahottari District of Nepal, make themselves warm during the evening. There was not any sun for one week in the village due to the winter fog. During the winter fog people burn agriculture byproducts more and more to keep them warm. The more they burn the more black carbon is produced, prolonging the fog and increasing its impact on the people of the Terai region during the winter season.

Estimating the vulnerability contribution to 1990–2019 changes in the health burden of ambient air pollution: a global modelling study

Journal article / This research examines how changes in population vulnerability and exposure to air pollutants affect global air pollution-related mortality trends.

15 September 2026 / About Pollution

Birds fly above burning waste at the municipal landfill in Teófilo Otoni. Minas Gerais State, Brazil. July 27 2025.

Hidden assets: the economic and health case for climate and clean air action

Other publication / The 2026 global economic assessment for climate and clean air action highlights the costs of inaction. Each year of delay could cost over USD 1.5 trillion.

7 September 2026 / About Finance and Pollution

Making the business case for better air quality

Feature / SEI and partners created a guide that gives businesses a practical way to measure both the air pollution and climate-changing emissions they generate.

7 September 2026 / About Pollution and Supply chains