Thread by @WHO

LIVE with @DrTedros at the #CleanAirEU Forum ⬇️

eucleanairforum.app.swapcard.com/event/eu-clean…

@DrTedros "The #COVID19 pandemic is a vivid reminder of just how important the simple act of breathing is to life.

Nobody should die from breathing.

And yet every year, an estimated 7 million people worldwide die because they inhale polluted air"-@DrTedros at the #CleanAirEU Forum

"Several hundred thousand of these deaths occur in @WHO_Europe Region. Almost everyone around the world lives in areas where the air contains high levels of harmful and dangerous pollutants"-@DrTedros #CleanAirEU

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1461384381134688259?s=20

"Both indoor and outdoor #airpollution are leading risk factors for respiratory diseases such as pneumonia, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and can also contribute to heart disease, stroke, and cancers"-@DrTedros #CleanAirEU

"#AirPollution is also likely to increase the risk of severe #COVID19"-@DrTedros #CleanAirEU

"Everyone is affected by #airpollution, but small children, older people, and other vulnerable and marginalized groups in low- and middle-income countries are hit the hardest"-@DrTedros #CleanAirEU

"We all saw the headlines from Delhi, 🇮🇳 just yesterday, where schools, colleges and construction sites have been closed because of #airpollution"-@DrTedros #CleanAirEU

"Around the world, poor #airquality particularly affects urban areas with rapid economic development, and in homes where families still use polluting fuels and technologies for cooking, heating and lighting"-@DrTedros #CleanAirEU

"#AirPollution not only affects human health, it affects the health of the planet. Many of the same issues that cause air to be unhealthy for humans are also drivers of #ClimateCrisis"-@DrTedros #CleanAirEU

"That is why improving air quality, through reducing the inefficient use of fossil fuels and the release of greenhouse gasses, protects both our health and our climate at the same time"-@DrTedros #CleanAirEU

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1461385755641659394?s=20

@DrTedros "While it doesn’t go far enough, the agreement reached at last week’s #COP26 is a step in the right direction. WHO will continue to support countries to improve air quality by providing evidence-based advice to address the drivers of #airpollution & #ClimateCrisis"-@DrTedros

"Recently we published an update to our Global Air Quality Guidelines, which provide clear evidence of the damage #airpollution inflicts on human health"-@DrTedros #CleanAirEU

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1440675315152392197?s=20

"When properly implemented, the new guidelines could have a major public health impact, with an estimated reduction of 80% of deaths due to polluted air"-@DrTedros #CleanAirEU

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1461386591746859024?s=20

"We must harness the health benefits of #ClimateAction by prioritising climate interventions with the largest health-, social- and economic gains"-@DrTedros #CleanAirEU

@DrTedros "We must reimagine urban environments, with sustainable, healthy urban design and transport systems, access to public space, and priority for walking, cycling and public transport"-@DrTedros #CleanAirEU

"We must develop tailored policy and financing schemes to unlock the potential of clean and sustainable energy solutions.

These are some of the key recommendations from our recent #COP26 special report on #ClimateCrisis and health and from our guidelines"-@DrTedros #CleanAirEU

@DrTedros "I urge you to review them and put them into practice in your own countries.

This #CleanAirEU Forum is a unique opportunity to identify cross-cutting solutions to some of the most pressing issues of our time"-@DrTedros