USAID Launches the Clean Air Catalyst Program to Combat Air Pollution

On Thursday March 18, 2021, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) launched Clean Air Catalyst, a new flagship program to combat air pollution, alongside a global consortium of organizations led by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).

Air pollution contributes directly to climate change, and the causes of air pollution are often the same as the causes of climate change. USAID partner countries are some of the most impacted by global climate change and integral to mitigating its impacts, which threaten decades of development progress. USAID, in support of the Biden-Harris Administration’s bold climate agenda, is making climate change a top priority.

Through this program, USAID and partners will work with local communities — starting in Indore, India and Jakarta, Indonesia — to better understand local pollution sources and identify, test, accelerate, and scale solutions for cleaner, healthier air.

Featured speakers were:

  • U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee
  • Karl Fickenscher, Acting Assistant Administrator of USAID’s Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation
  • Rebecca Garland, Principal Researcher, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, South Africa
  • Asad Warsi, Sustainability Advisor, Indore Municipal Corporation, India
  • Yulia, Policy Manager, Governor’s Delivery Unit, Jakarta City Government, Indonesia

The discussion was moderated by Jessica Seddon, WRI’s Global Lead for Air Quality and Sarah Vogel, Vice President for Health, Environmental Defense Fund.

Read more about the mission of the Clean Air Catalyst

Additional Resources