Climate Talks : Clean Air in Cities

Climate action is everybody’s agenda. Voices of Youth Leaders and Development, in collaboration with ICESCO and the International Youth Network for SDG Villages, is committed to enhancing dialogues with the next generation for the Sustainable Development Goals. From the first topic of preserving coastal tourism cities in Tangier in Morocco, Brunei Darussalam and Siargao in the Philippines, to the succeeding one on reducing air pollution from the industrial sector in Kenitra, Morocco and Sharm al Sheikh, Egypt, similar conversations were held around cities in Africa and Asia leading up to COP27. Air pollution may be largely invisible, but certainly dangerous for everyone, especially the young and elderly, and at risk. In Morocco, with a population of over 35 million people, many urban dwellers are consistently exposed to levels of air pollution that exceed World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Furthermore, according to the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, Moroccan cities remain highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to geographic location, including extreme weather events, water scarcity, depleted agricultural production, and sea level rise. This second intergenerational dialogue will seek to pledge what stakeholders can do in the short and long terms from the lens of New Urban Agenda