Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A Clean Air Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Handbook of Air Quality and Climate Change

Abstract

Air pollution is the greatest environmental threat to human health and well-being, responsible for seven million premature deaths per year. However, in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), there is no headline goal or even target focusing on air pollution exclusively. The main argument of this chapter is that the successor to the SDGs should include a clean air goal. The chapter recommends that a clean air SDG needs to have targets that are aligned with the recent World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines. The clean air SDG should also include related targets on policies, institutions, technology, finance, and other means of implementation (MOI). Those related (MOI) targets could support actions needed to achieve the underlying air quality targets as well as strengthen implementation of related goals on decent jobs, better health, food security, renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable industrialization.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Amanuma N, Zusman E, Lee S-Y, Premakumara Gamaralalage JD, Mitra BK, Pham N-B, Nakano R, Nugroho SB, Chiu B, Agatep MP, Romero J (2018) In: Zusman E, Amanuma N (eds) Governance for integrated solutions to sustainable development and climate change: from linking issues to aligning interests. IGES. https://www.iges.or.jp/en/about/staff/zusman-eric?page=%2C2

    Google Scholar 

  2. Amegah AK, Jaakkola JJ (2016) Household air pollution and the sustainable development goals. Bull World Health Organ 94(3):215–221. https://doi.org/10.2471/blt.15.155812

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Amini H (2021) WHO air quality guidelines need to be adopted. Int J Public Health 66(October):10–12. https://doi.org/10.3389/ijph.2021.1604483

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Burney J, Ramanathan V (2014) Recent climate and air pollution impacts on indian agriculture. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 111(46):16319–16324. https://doi.org/10.1073/PNAS.1317275111/SUPPL_FILE/PNAS.201317275SI.PDF

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Dominici F, Peng RD, Barr CD, Bell ML (2010) Protecting human health from air pollution: shifting from a single-pollutant to a multipollutant approach. Epidemiology 21(2):187–194. https://doi.org/10.1097/EDE.0b013e3181cc86e8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Elder M, Loewe C (2019) Introduction and context. In: UNEP (ed) Global environment outlook – GEO6: healthy planet, healthy people. United Nations Environment Programme, pp 4–19

    Google Scholar 

  7. Elder M, Olsen SH (2019) The design of environmental priorities in the SDGs. Global Pol 10(S1):70–82. https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.12596

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Elder M, Zusman E (2016) Strengthening the linkages between air pollution and the sustainable development goals. IGES Policy Brief, 35

    Google Scholar 

  9. Elder M, Matsumoto N, Ogihara A, Shimizu M, Boyd A, Lin X, Suk S (2013) Current status and future potential of the multi-pollutant approach to air pollution control in Japan, China, and South Korea. In: 18th annual meeting of the society for environmental economics and policy. Studies (SEEPS). Kobe, Japan

    Google Scholar 

  10. Fuller R et al (2022) Pollution and health: a progress update. Lancet Planet Health 6:e535–e547

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. GBD 2015 DALYs, & HALE Collaborators (2016) Global, regional, and national disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for 315 diseases and injuries and healthy life expectancy (HALE), 1990–2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease study 2015. Lancet 388:1603–1658

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Health Effects Institute (2020) State of global air 2020. Special Report. Boston, MA: Health Effects Institute

    Google Scholar 

  13. Hoffmann B, Boogaard H, de Nazelle A, Andersen ZJ, Abramson M, Brauer M, Brunekreef B, Forastiere F, Huang W, Kan H, Kaufman JD, Katsouyanni K, Krzyzanowski M, Kuenzli N, Laden F, Nieuwenhuijsen M, Mustapha A, Powell P, Rice M, … Thurston G (2021) WHO air quality guidelines 2021–aiming for healthier air for all: a joint statement by medical, public health, scientific societies and patient representative organisations. Int J Public Health 66(September):2019–2022. https://doi.org/10.3389/ijph.2021.1604465

  14. Janardhanan NK, Zusman E, Hengesbaugh M, Olsen S, Lee S-Y, Akahoshi K, Takai E, Patdu KM, Nagatani-Yoshida K, Bathan Baterina G, Espita-Casanova Marviluz D, Pederson B, Amann M, Klimont Z, Borgford-Parnell N, Yamashita K, Mars K, Unger C, Takemura T, … Narayanan GB (2021) Integrating clean air, climate, and health policies in the COVID-19 Era: the role of co-benefits and the triple R framework. https://www.iges.or.jp/en/pub/covid-airpollution-triplerframework/en

  15. Landrigan PJ, Fuller R, Acosta NJR, Adeyi O, Arnold R, Basu N, Baldé AB, Bertollini R, Bose-O’Reilly S, Boufford JI, Breysse PN, Chiles T, Mahidol C, Coll-Seck AM, Cropper ML, Fobil J, Fuster V, Greenstone M, Haines A, … Zhong M (2017) The Lancet Commission on pollution and health. Lancet 6736(17). https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32345-0

  16. Landrigan PJ et al (2018) The Lancet Commission on pollution and health. Lancet 391:462–512

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Lobell DB, Di Tommaso S, Burney JA (2022) Globally ubiquitous negative effects of nitrogen dioxide on crop growth. Sci Adv 8(22):9909. https://doi.org/10.1126/SCIADV.ABM9909/SUPPL_FILE/SCIADV.ABM9909_SM.PDF

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Lode B, Schönberger P, Toussaint P (2016) Clean air for all by 2030? Air quality in the 2030 agenda and in international law. Rev Eur Comp Int Environ Law 25(1):27–38. https://doi.org/10.1111/reel.12151

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Longhurst J, Barnes J, Chatterton T, De Vito L, Everard M, Hayes E, Prestwood E, Williams B (2018) Analysing air pollution and its management through the lens of the UN sustainable development goals: a review and assessment. WIT Trans Ecol Environ 230:3–14. https://doi.org/10.2495/AIR180011

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Mongolia Voluntary National Review (2019) https://hlpf.un.org/sites/default/files/vnrs/2021/23342MONGOLIA_VOLUNTARY_NATIONAL_REVIEW_REPORT_2019.pdf

  21. Olsen SH, Zusman E (2014) Governance and national sustainable development strategies: implications for the sustainable development. IGES: Hayama, Japan

    Google Scholar 

  22. Olsen SH, Zusman E, Steele R, Marsden E, Virtucio MA (2019) Strengthening the environmental dimensions of the sustainable development goals in Asia and the Pacific: stocktake of national responses to sustainable development goals 12, 14, and 15. https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/481246/environmental-dimensions-sdgs-stocktake-report.pdf

  23. Roser M (2021, November 25) Data review: how many people die from air pollution? – our world in data. https://ourworldindata.org/data-review-air-pollution-deaths

  24. Thurston GD, Kipen H, Annesi-Maesano I, Balmes J, Brook RD, Cromar K, De Matteis S, Forastiere F, Forsberg B, Frampton MW, Grigg J, Heederik D, Kelly FJ, Kuenzli N, Laumbach R, Peters A, Rajagopalan ST, Rich D, Ritz B, … Brunekreef B (2017) A joint ERS/ATS policy statement: what constitutes an adverse health effect of air pollution? An analytical framework. Eur Respir J 49(1). https://doi.org/10.1183/13993003.00419-2016

  25. Traini E, Huss A, Portengen L, Rookus M, Verschuren WMM, Vermeulen RCH, Bellavia A (2022) A multipollutant approach to estimating causal effects of air pollution mixtures on overall mortality in a large, prospective cohort. Epidemiology 33(4):514–522. https://doi.org/10.1097/EDE.0000000000001492

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. UNECE (n.d.) Air pollution, ecosystems and biodiversity 2022. Retrieved October 5, 2022, from https://unece.org/air-pollution-ecosystems-and-biodiversity

  27. UNEP (2007) Global environment outlook 4

    Google Scholar 

  28. United Nations (2021) Our Common Agenda – report of the Secretary-General. In: Our Common Agenda – report of the Secretary-General. https://doi.org/10.18356/9789210010122

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  29. WHO (2014) 7 million premature deaths annually linked to air pollution. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2014/air-pollution/en/

  30. WHO (2021a) WHO global air quality guidelines. Particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/345329/9789240034228-eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

  31. WHO (2021b, September 22) Ambient (outdoor) air pollution. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ambient-(outdoor)-air-quality-and-health

  32. WHO (2022) Household air pollution and health. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/household-air-pollution-and-health

  33. World Bank (2022) The global health cost of PM2.5 air pollution. The global health cost of PM2.5 air pollution: a case for action beyond 2021. https://doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-1816-5

  34. Yang BY, Fan S, Thiering E, Seissler J, Nowak D, Dong GH, Heinrich J (2020) Ambient air pollution and diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Environ Res 180(September 2019):108817. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2019.108817

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Yang J, Ma J, Sun Q, Han C, Guo Y, Li M (2022) Health benefits by attaining the new WHO air quality guideline targets in China: a nationwide analysis. Environ Pollut 308(June):119694. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119694

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Zhou X, Moinuddin M (2017) Sustainable development goals interlinkages and network analysis: a practical tool for SDG integration and policy coherence. https://sdginterlinkages.iges.jp/files/IGES_ResearchReport_SDGInterlinkages_Printingversion.Pdf

  37. Zhu J, Zhai Y, Feng S, Tan Y, Wei W (2022) Trade-offs and synergies among air-pollution-related SDGs as well as interactions between air-pollution-related SDGs and other SDGs. J Clean Prod 331(June 2021):129890. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.129890

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Zusman E, Unger C, Borgford-Parnell N, Mar KA (2021) One atmosphere: integrating air pollution and climate policy and governance. Atmosphere 12(12):1570

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Eric Zusman would like to extend his appreciation to the “[1MF-2203] A Comparative Study on the Governance of Follow-up and Review for the achievement of the SDGs” as well as the “Environment Research and Technology Development Fund of the Environmental Restoration and Conservation Agency Provided by the Ministry of Environment of Japan” for the financial support required to conduct the research featured in this chapter.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Hayama, Japan

    Eric Zusman & Mark Elder

  2. National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Japan

    Eric Zusman

  3. Tokai University, Tokyo, Japan

    David D. Sussman

Authors
  1. Eric Zusman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mark Elder
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. David D. Sussman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eric Zusman .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan

    Hajime Akimoto

  2. National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan

    Hiroshi Tanimoto

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2023 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Zusman, E., Elder, M., Sussman, D.D. (2023). A Clean Air Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). In: Akimoto, H., Tanimoto, H. (eds) Handbook of Air Quality and Climate Change. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-2760-9_50

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation