London, San Francisco and Beijing achieve remarkable reductions' in air pollution

"This report shows that cities can achieve what was once thought impossible: cutting toxic air pollution by 20-45% in a little over a decade, said Cecilia Vaca Jones, executive director of Breathe Cities, one of the organisations behind the report. This isn't just happening in one corner of the world; from Warsaw to Bangkok, cities are proving that we have the tools to solve this crisis right now."

"Burning fossil fuels releases toxic gas and harmful particles that are among the biggest threats to human health. The smallest of these particles can pass into the bloodstream and spread through the body, damaging organs from the brains to the genitals, while nitrogen dioxide hurts the airways and reacts with water to form acid rain."

"London, San Francisco and Beijing are among 19 global cities that have achieved remarkable reductions in air pollution, analysis has found, having slashed levels of two airway-aggravating pollutants by more than 20% since 2010. The analysis found interventions such as cycle lanes, uptake of electric cars and restrictions on polluting vehicles had helped to drive the improvements."

Analysis of nearly 100 cities worldwide reveals that 19 major cities have achieved significant air pollution reductions exceeding 20% since 2010. Beijing and Warsaw led in reducing fine particulate pollution (PM2.5) by over 45%, while Amsterdam and Rotterdam achieved nitrogen dioxide (NO2) cuts exceeding 40%. San Francisco was the only US city meeting both pollutant reduction targets. Nine of the 19 successful cities are in China and Hong Kong, with the remainder in Europe. Key interventions driving improvements include cycle lane infrastructure, electric vehicle adoption, and restrictions on polluting vehicles. The analysis demonstrates that substantial air quality improvements of 20-45% are achievable within 15 years through deliberate policy action and urban planning strategies.

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