Research reveals young people in the US are almost as concerned about the impact air pollution has on their health as Covid-19; Global Action Plan, Blueair, and the Coalition for Clean Air call on the UN to give children the Freedom to breathe

Young people in the United States are worried about how air pollution will affect their health (62%) almost as much as they are worried about the health impacts of catching Covid-19 (71%), new research by Global Action Plan and Blueair reveals.

The research, which includes an international online YouGov survey (March 12-April 14, 2021) of 4,054 children ages 6 to 15 (of which 1,004 were from the US) and focus groups* from the US, India, the UK, and China, finds that despite currently living through a pandemic, children are worried that poor air quality could have serious impacts on their health and development.

Poll findings include:

• In the US, only 50% of children agree that adults are doing enough to protect the air they breathe; this confidence is lower than in India (71%) and China (57%).
• When asked directly, 87% of US children agreed that all children should have the right to be able to breathe clean air.
• The average result (combining all four countries) shows that the children overwhelmingly believe that all children should have the right to be able to breathe clean air (94%).

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 recognized worldwide.

In light of this and the overwhelming support from children globally through the polling, Global Action Plan and Blueair today announce the launch of the “Freedom to breathe” campaign. The campaign aims to empower young people to join together to call on the United Nations to acknowledge their fundamental right to clean air.

“It is astounding that clean air is not among the rights of children worldwide,” says Sonja Graham, CEO at Global Action Plan. “Access to clean air is vital for children to be able to live long healthy lives and realize 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?”

“For the last 25 years, Blueair has been fighting for every child’s right to breathe clean air,” says Sara Alsén, Chief Purpose Officer at Blueair. “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.”

As part of the campaign, Global Action Plan and Blueair have also partnered with the Coalition for Clean Air (CCA) in the US to educate children on the importance of breathing clean air and what they can do to minimize their exposure to common sources of harmful pollution. CCA will also assist in gathering signatures from children in the US urging the UN to add clean air as a right under the Rights of the Child.

“Children are very aware of the abundance and harm polluted air causes in cities across the US, starting at a very young age,” says Dr. Joseph K. Lyou, President and CEO of the Coalition for Clean Air. “We’re excited to partner with Global Action Plan and Blueair to educate children about the harmful effects of air pollution and urge the UN to recognize the right of every child to breathe clean air.”

To learn more about the Freedom to breathe campaign and why children everywhere deserve the right to clean air, visit https://freedomtobreathe.support/now.

About Blueair

Blueair is a world-leading producer of air purification solutions for home and professional use. Founded in Sweden, Blueair delivers innovative, best-in-class, energy efficient products that are sold in over 60 countries around the world. Blueair is part of the Unilever family of brands. www.blueair.com

About Global Action Plan

Global Action Plan is a charity that helps people live more sustainable lives by connecting what is good for us and good for the planet. We're the people behind Clean Air Day, the UK's largest air pollution campaign. We work with people on bringing about compassion not consumerism and increasing wellbeing – what is good for us is often greener too. And we bring business and young people together to work on building a sustainable future. Helping young people develop the skills and knowledge to tackle environmental issues is good for the planet and everyone’s future too.

About Coalition for Clean Air

Coalition for Clean Air is a California non-profit organization that protects public health, improves air quality and prevents climate change.

YouGov data: All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 4054 children aged 6 to 15, of which 1,004 respondents were surveyed in the US. Fieldwork was undertaken between 12th March - 14th April 2021. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of each country (aged 6-15).

*Focus groups were carried out to gain insights from young people about their understanding and perception of air quality issues, and their views around children’s rights and responsibilities to clean air. Focus groups were carried out across Delhi, London, Los Angeles and Beijing with over 150 children aged 7-16, in March – April 2021. They were carried out by; Centre for Environment Education (India), Coalition for Clean Air (USA), Global Action Plan (UK) and Safekids China (China).

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