Roughly 300 million of the world’s children live in areas with unacceptable levels of air pollutions, and it is past time something is done about it, UNICEF said in a report Monday. The report, released just one week before the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change annual conference begins, calls on governments to take steps to address the problem, including cutting back on fossil fuel use.
“Air pollution is a major contributing factor in the deaths of around 600,000 children under five every year – and it threatens the lives and futures of millions more every day,” UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake said in a release.
The report also urges nations to invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy, to invest in children’s healthcare, to ensure that pollution sources are not located near schools and playgrounds, and to improve monitoring of air quality.
