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.
