News 17 June 2026
Wellcome is supporting Clean Air Fund to drive global action on black carbon with £10m in new funding. Our landmark programme will focus on delivering health and climate gains by supporting research, policy and advocacy efforts to accelerate action where it is most urgently needed.
Why black carbon?
Also known as soot, black carbon is a potent pollutant with major impacts on human health and climate change. It is a contributor to poor air quality and is linked to lung disease, heart disease and premature deaths, with emerging evidence for an increased risk of cancer and dementia.
These negative impacts disproportionately affect the most marginalised communities globally.
Black carbon is also one of the super pollutants, alongside methane and tropospheric ozone, that are responsible for half of global warming to date. It accelerates the melting of glaciers and polar icecaps and disrupts regional weather systems, including monsoons.
As it only remains in the atmosphere for a short time, targeting black carbon and other super-pollutants can act as an ‘emergency brake’ on climate change, delivering rapid benefits for people’s health and the planet. Analysis shows a 70% black carbon emissions reduction is technically feasible by 2030 relative to 2010 levels.
Our goal to slash emissions
Our programme will help close critical evidence gaps on black carbon’s health and climate impacts to enable more effective, data-driven policy and regulatory interventions. By strengthening the evidence base and translating it into action, we aim to catalyse solutions that deliver near-term health and climate benefits at scale. We are prioritising the communities most burdened by air pollution and least served by existing policies.
This investment marks an important step forward in bringing together health and climate action. This programme is one of the first major philanthropic efforts to focus on the combined health and climate benefits of tackling black carbon, helping to build momentum for further investment and collaboration across the field.
Through this programme, we will support research, policy and advocacy efforts to accelerate progress and embed health more strongly within initiatives to tackle super pollutants globally.
Reducing black carbon, alongside other super pollutants, is the fastest, most effective way to slow climate change, and reap huge benefits for people’s health. Thanks to Wellcome, this programme will provide the evidence for action where it’s most needed, in places where the impacts of air pollution are hitting hardest.
Jane Burston OBE, CEO at Clean Air Fund
Black carbon is a major but often overlooked driver of both ill health and climate change. This programme will help turn evidence into action, delivering rapid benefits where they are needed most.
Rachel Huxley, Head of Mitigation at Wellcome
This new programme adds a stronger focus on health to build on Clean Air Fund’s ongoing work to tackle super pollutants and improve air quality worldwide. Check out our Black Carbon Hub for the latest resources, news and efforts on tackling the super pollutant.
If you have any questions, get in touch with us directly.
