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IGU publishes latest case studies in improving air quality IGU’s latest report highlighting how the increased use of natural gas in industry, power generation, heating and transport can significantly reduce air pollution was released during COP 25 in December 2019. This fourth edition of the Urban Air Quality report series includes case studies of three cities – Morbi, London and Bogotá. Urban air quality remains a major threat
pollution challenge and improving the
Morbi
to human health and wellbeing across
quality of life and health of their residents.
The city of Morbi in the Gujarat region
the globe. On average, pollution reduces
As in the previous reports, the initiatives
of India achieved a dramatic reduction
global life expectancy by 1.8 years, which
presented demonstrate the complexity of
of air pollution and environmental
is worse than smoking and road accidents.
the issue and highlight the need to take
contamination, thanks to switching
an economy-wide, multi-stakeholder
from coal to natural gas in its energy-
comprehensive approach to solving it.
intensive ceramics industry.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) continues to sound the alarm about the urgent problem of air pollution, killing
Despite being connected to the nat
7 million every year and costing economies
Key findings
ural gas pipeline network, the city’s 900
trillions of dollars in health, welfare and
The 2019 Air Quality report is a tour
industrial units originally used cheaper
productivity losses, for the 90% of world
across the globe, with cases from three
coal gas in the manufacturing of cera
population who breathe polluted air.
very distinct regions addressing air
mic tiles with society bearing the cost of
pollution challenges, across different
environmental and health hazards. In
sectors (industry, power and transport).
March 2019, India’s National Green
The United Nations also recognises the fight for cleaner air as a top priority in the Sustainable Development Goals. In 2019, the Special Rapporteur to the
It starts in India, with the most severe
Tribunal banned the use of gasification
example of air pollution, set in the con
technology in Morbi’s ceramic units and
Human Rights Council of the UN, David
text of a growing economy and evolv
they switched to piped natural gas. The
Boyd, presented a case for recognising
ing regulations. Then, the UK presents a
switch brought immediate results and
clean air as a human right, because air
case where air quality regulations have
translated into significantly improved air
pollution has negative impacts on “the
been evolving since the 1950s, and a
quality readings, with a 75% reduction
right to life and the right to health, in
recent move to establish a CO2 market
in PM2.5 levels, 72% reduction in PM10
particular by vulnerable groups”.
brought on a further reduction in air
and an 85% reduction in SO2. In addi
pollution, as well as in greenhouse gas
tion to the air quality improvement,
issue that was responsible for some
emissions. Finally, Bogota is a case where
there were other significant environ
12.5% of 2017 deaths in India, and it has
ongoing progress in the development
mental benefits, including reduced
to be addressed with the highest sense
of a public transit system also helped to
water consumption and avoided emis
of urgency by authorities.
meet several city development objectives,
sions from reduced coal truckloads.
It is a very real and very dangerous
The latest edition of the Urban Air
including improving the quality of its
Quality report builds on the tradition of
air, and now the city is taking it a step
coming challenges with compliance,
showcasing cities, regions and countries
further by bringing in new natural gas-
once standards are in place. In the case
around the globe taking on the air
powered buses into the fleet.
of Morbi, it took regulatory oversight and
94 IGU publishes latest case studies in improving air quality
The policy lesson here is about over
