'Freedom to breathe' campaign launched with school programme

Global Action Plan and Blueair have launched the “Freedom to breathe” campaign, which aims to empower young people globally to jointly call on the United Nations to acknowledge their fundamental right to clean air.

Despite predictions by UNICEF that by 2050 air pollution will become the leading cause of child mortality, clean air is currently not among children’s rights defined by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and is not formally recognised worldwide.
 
As part of the Freedom to breathe campaign, a school’s programme is educating children on the importance of breathing clean air and what they can do to minimise their exposure to common sources of harmful pollution. This is being delivered through local delivery partners London, Beijing, Delhi, and Los Angeles.

New research by Global Action Plan and Blueair reveals that in Britain, just over four in ten (43%) British children believe adults are currently not doing enough to protect the air they breathe. Over one in ten British children (12%) say they have never learnt anything about air pollution.

When asked who they think should be helping to make sure children breathe clean air, 27% said schools, 46% said local leaders, 73% said the government  and 43% believe owners of businesses.

Sonja Graham, CEO at Global Action Plan, says: “It is astounding that clean air is not among the rights of children worldwide. Access to clean air is vital for children to be able to live long healthy lives and realise their full potential. Children have the right to clean water, a safe home, why do they not have a right to clean air to breathe?”
 
Sara Alsén, Chief Purpose Officer at Blueair says: “For the last 25 years, Blueair has been fighting for every child’s right to breathe clean air. By teaming up with civil society actors who share our belief that it’s time to make access to clean air—like access to clean water—the right of every child, we are bringing our founder’s purpose to life.”
 
Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, Founder of the Ella Roberta Family Foundation and WHO advocate for health and air quality says: “Children have a right to breathe clean air. Children recognise the emergency and are demanding that policy makers do what's necessary to protect their health and future. The coroner's decision in Ella's inquest made clear that the UK needs to adopt WHO air quality guidelines and follow them. But air pollution is a global pandemic, so every country should do the same."
 
Respiratory specialist professor Sir Stephen Holgate says: “Children’s developing organs and immune systems make them especially vulnerable to dirty air. As they grow, they continue to be at high risk from air pollution because their immune systems, lungs and brains are still developing. The fact that the air they breathe is not recognised as a right highlights the lack of understanding and awareness surrounding its harmful impacts. Every day, around 93% of the world’s children under the age of 15 are breathing air so polluted that it poses serious risks to their health and development. Globally, we must start treating air pollution with the seriousness it deserves.”