News 1 July 2025
Check out the latest news articles, research and progress to tackle air pollution around the world.
Nairobi takes action for clean air
Nairobi City County has developed a new strategic roadmap to achieve cleaner air over the next five years. With the support of Breathe Cities, the work will feed into climate adaptation planning and urban resilience plans in Kenya’s capital. Nairobi also launched its first city-owned air quality monitoring network, deploying 50 sensors delivering real-time data to identify pollution hotspots.
Medical associations reveal health impacts of air pollution in England
New data on the health impacts of air pollution in England is fuelling growing concern and calls for action from the healthcare community. GP visits for asthma attacks rose 45% in England in a single year, according to the Royal College of General Practitioners.
The findings coincide with the Royal College of Physicians’ latest report which revealed air pollution in the UK is now attributed to the premature deaths of 500 people a week and £27bn a year in ill health, NHS care and productivity losses.
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health’s research shows that 1.5 million children in England live in unsafe homes, contributing to asthma, respiratory infections and chronic illness. These air quality issues are compounded by poverty and overcrowding, further deepening existing health inequalities.
Air pollution costs South Africa’s economy 14% of GDP
A new report from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and Greenpeace Africa reveals the toll of air pollution in South Africa. It found that in 2023, dirty air cut short the lives of over 42,000 people, and caused astonishing economic damages estimated at R960 billion, or 14% of the country’s GDP.
Next phase of pioneering Breathe London announced
Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London) and Mike Bloomberg (CEO, Bloomberg Philanthropies) announced the expansion of the Breathe London programme, pledging a further £2.8m investment for the next phase. Another 146 low-cost air quality monitors will be installed around the city, expanding residents’ access to real-time, hyperlocal air quality data.
Updated guide for businesses
The Climate and Clean Air Coalition and Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) launched an updated practical guide supporting businesses to measure and report on their air pollutant emissions. The guide now includes greenhouse gas emissions and short-lived climate pollutants (also known as super pollutants), such as black carbon and methane.
Inequalities revealed in Scotland
A new report by Fraser of Allander Institute explores inequalities in air pollution exposure across Scotland. It calls for targeted national air quality policies to better protect deprived communities and prioritise those most affected by dirty air.
Air quality improvements in York
For the first time since the pandemic, air pollution levels in the UK city of York fell below legal limits. The City of York Council credits the climate and health win to grants helping taxi drivers buy low or zero emission cars and phasing out fossil fuel-powered vehicles in its own fleet.
Air pollution worsens adult eczema
New research in Canada found that environmental conditions tied to climate change, such as air pollution, extreme temperatures and weather changes, may be worsening atopic dermatitis (eczema) in adults.
