MESSAGE FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - DR CASSANDRA KELLY-CIRINO
Today is the sixth International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, and we are reminded of the invisible crisis surrounding us: polluted air that damages our lungs, weakens our defences, and fuels disease. At The Union, we know the profound importance of tackling the impact of air pollution to improve lung health.
Indeed, achieving clean air is not only an environmental aspiration – it is a necessity for supporting lung health globally. And today, the urgency to come together to achieve clean air for all has never been greater – and we are truly Racing for Air.
Air pollution is now recognised as a shared risk factor across tuberculosis (TB), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, lung cancer and other non-communicable diseases.
United Nations agencies and the World Health Organization (WHO) have warned of the scale of this crisis. The State of Global Air Report 2024, produced with UNICEF, estimated that air pollution caused 8.1 million deaths in 2021, including more than 700,000 children under five, making it the second leading risk factor for death worldwide.
The UN Environment Programme has called air pollution the “biggest environmental health risk of our time,” responsible for around seven million deaths annually, with 98% of cities in low- and middle-income countries failing to meet WHO air-quality guidelines. WHO also emphasise that air pollution is now the second leading risk factor for non-communicable diseases after smoking, with nearly 90% of the burden falling on low- and middle-income countries.
The massive and rising burden of death and disability from COPD and asthma means it’s vital to improve access to inhaled medicines to people in low resource, high-burden settings. However, lack of access to live-saving medicines is causing widespread suffering and placing enormous demands on households and healthcare systems, which is why The Union is committed to the Forum of International Respiratory Societies’ Increasing Access to Inhaled Medicines campaign.
The links between the environment and TB are particularly concerning. Climate-driven shocks, such as droughts, floods, food insecurity and displacement, amplify TB risk through malnutrition, treatment disruption and weakened health systems. In 2023 alone, more than 20 million people were displaced by weather-related hazards, and climate-related displacement could reach 216 million by 2050. Food insecurity alone accounts for nearly 10% of TB cases globally. These climate-sensitive pathways demonstrate how deeply environmental change is shaping TB vulnerability.
Research which will be presented at the upcoming Union World Conference on Lung Health will shine a further spotlight on the impact of air pollution on TB, asthma, and even neurological development in children.
Addressing air pollution and climate change is therefore not simply a matter of environmental policy or climate justice, but is central to the future of global health.
The Union is proud to join the Race for Air, and remains committed to advancing strategies that address these environmental determinants of lung health and to advocating for cleaner, healthier air worldwide.