The Guardian: Air pollution is the new tobacco. Time to tackle this epidemic
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the WHO

“Air pollution is a silent public health emergency … Despite this epidemic of needless, preventable deaths and disability, a smog of complacency pervades the planet. This is a defining moment and we must scale up action to urgently respond to this challenge. … No person, group, city, country, or region can solve the problem alone. We need strong commitments and actions from everyone: government decision-makers, community leaders, mayors, civil society, the private sector, and even the individual. It will take time and endurance but we all have a critical role to play. … [P]olitical action is still urgently needed to boost investments and speed up action to reduce air pollution. … [I]n less than a week, the WHO will host the first global conference on air pollution and health, where leaders will chart next steps for future action to cut air pollution in their countries. … The world has turned the corner on tobacco. Now it must do the same for the ‘new tobacco’: the toxic air that billions breathe every day” (10/27).