New Delhi, A UN expert has warned of a growing air pollution crisis, calling on governments and businesses to address the public health and human rights implications of air pollution. Astrid Puentes Riaño, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, presented a new report to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The report notes that countries in Asia, including India, are increasingly recognising the human rights implications of air pollution, with India taking steps through programmes such as its National Air Quality Index and the National Clean Air Programme.
Riaño stressed that strengthening air quality standards, aligning them with the best available science, and ensuring strong regulation of industrial and energy emissions will be critical to protecting the human right to a healthy environment and safeguarding the health and other rights of millions of people exposed to polluted air.
The report also outlines multiple measures for national governments, cities, subnational authorities, businesses and international organisations, including better integration of air quality, human rights and climate policies, and efforts to map pollution hotspots and focus interventions on protecting vulnerable communities.
