Reduce Air Pollution

Despite recent improvements, poor air quality is still a major concern worldwide. In developing countries, air pollution continues to worsen in most large cities, a situation driven by population growth, industrialization and increased vehicle use. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that as many as 1.4 billion urban residents around the world breathe air with pollutant levels exceeding the WHO air quality guidelines. According to the WHO, poor air quality leads to 800,000 premature deaths a year.

As the U.S. federal agency responsible for the management of national air quality programs, the EPA has a long history of working with partners in the United States and abroad to address a range of air quality concerns. Reducing international sources of air pollutants is a top EPA priority, as it will be increasingly difficult for EPA to achieve its domestic environmental objectives without international environmental collaboration.

The EPA is working with other nations and through multilateral organizations to reduce air pollution at its source. Cooperative programs with Mexico and Canada are especially important since they help control much of the pollution that degrades environmental quality throughout North America. In addition, EPA's work in Central America, Asia, and Africa is improving our understanding of air pollution's sources, transport, and effects. EPA's cooperation with the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), for example, led to an assessment of the health effects of ambient air pollution in Latin America and the Caribbean, which in turn prompted follow-up health work in the region.

	Collaboration - Partnerships
Approach	Partnerships: Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles - A public-private partnership launched at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) with the goal of reducing vehicular air pollution in developing countries through the promotion of clean fuels and vehicles. This partnership focuses on the reduction of sulfur in fuels and the elimination of lead in gasoline.
Result	All countries of sub-Saharan Africa eliminated lead in gasoline at the end of 2005, reducing lead exposure for over 750 million people.

Reduce Air Pollution

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Collaboration - Partnerships

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