TEHRAN –The International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies is observed annually on September 7 highlighting the significance of raising public awareness at all levels, as well as promoting and facilitating actions to improve air quality.

With the theme of ‘Invest in Clean Air Now’, this year's observance emphasizes the urgent need for stronger partnerships, increased investment, and shared responsibility to combat air pollution.

Clean air is important for the health and day-to-day lives of people, while air pollution is the single greatest environmental risk to human health and one of the main avoidable causes of death and disease globally.

It disproportionately affects women, children, and older persons, and also has a negative impact on ecosystems.

Air pollution is the second leading risk factor for death, causing around 8.1 million premature deaths annually from conditions such as stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.

As the biggest environmental health risk of the time, it also exacerbates climate change, causes economic losses, and reduces agricultural productivity.

It knows no borders – everyone has a responsibility to protect our atmosphere and ensure healthy air for all.

Today, the international community acknowledges that improving air quality can enhance climate change mitigation and that climate change mitigation efforts can improve air quality.

By collaborating across borders, sectors, and silos, we can reduce air pollution through collective investments of time, resources and efforts.

This International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies calls upon everyone—from governments and corporations to civil society and individuals to invest in clean air now.

By tackling air pollution proactively, we can achieve transformative change and secure healthy air for all.

National Clean Air Week

Running from January 16 to 22, the National Clean Air Week was observed this year under the theme of 'Clean Air, Responsible Official, Responsible Citizen’.

Every year, January 19, is the National Clean Air Day in Iran in order to remind and highlight the main factors in maintaining air quality, as well as promoting a sense of responsibility and citizen participation in protecting the urban environment and fulfilling social responsibility for the environment.

This year's theme highlighted the significance of raising people’s awareness about the effects of air pollution, providing necessary information and health recommendations when confronting unhealthy conditions caused by air pollution, and attracting people’s contribution.

Clean Air Law

Air pollution is one of the main concerns of the government; Therefore, all organizations are obliged to act based on the Clean Air Law.

The Clean Air Law, enacted in July 2017, was supposed to be a solution to ease air pollution across the country. Still, the air is severely polluted, as the responsible bodies neglect their legal duties to implement the law.

The law has defined responsibilities for the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Oil, the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Transport and Urban Development, the Ministry of Industry, Mining, and Trade, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Department of Environment, the police, the municipality, the National TV, and some other organizations.

In this regard, according to the three-year plan of the Ministry of Oil, which was presented to the Department of Environment, the amount of sulfur in diesel fuel is supposed to be reduced to a great extent, in order to meet the national standard.

The importance of having clean air is such that a week in the country is named after the Clean Air Week.