Blog

Six Takeaways from Indore’s New Air Quality Monitoring Stations

Research around the world shows that pollution levels can vary enormously within the same city and even within the same neighborhood. Local monitoring data can thus prove essential to understanding air pollution sources, how they affect different communities and groups, and where to target policy solutions. That’s why Clean Air Catalyst launched three air quality monitoring stations in Indore in January 2023. These new stations have significantly improved the city’s air quality tracking capabilities in some important ways. Read More

Women are Taking on Indore’s Air Pollution Crisis by Transforming the Transport Sector

By Jessica Kempner, Azra Khan and Derek Schwabe, February 23, 2024 Read More

Charting the Course for Gender-Responsive Clean Air Action in Nairobi

Loise—a pseudonym to protect her privacy—is a single mother of two who works at an eatery next to a major bus station in Nairobi City. Her customers are travelers coming into Nairobi early in the morning and leaving the city late at night. She arrives at the eatery by 5:00… Read More

Pink is the New Green: How Indore’s Growing Electric Bus Fleet Is Driving Progress on Air Quality and Women’s Empowerment

The city of Indore is working to integrate women into its growing clean-energy public transportation workforce. Its new electric buses promise to open new opportunities for women’s representation and empowerment while reducing air pollution. Read More

Reducing Pollution in Vietnam: One Good Design at a Time

In 2020, Social Impact’s USAID Learns provided a full range of design support services to USAID Vietnam, resulting in the Reducing Pollution Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). This was an exciting opportunity to support the Mission in translating the Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) focus on collective action into tangible environmental programming with lasting impact. Read More

Grassroot Actions Against Polluted Skies: How Jakarta’s Urban Villages Tackle Air Pollution 

Jakarta’s air quality was front-page news when pollution levels spiked to some of the highest in the world during the 2023 dry season.  For these women, breathing in dirty air is a daily occurrence.  Read More

Charting Progress in 2023: USAID’s Highlights in Tackling Ocean Plastics

“There are 21,000 pieces of plastic in the ocean for each person on Earth,” a somber headline in the Washington Post reminded the public in 2023. To respond to this environmental crisis, United Nations member states are negotiating a legally binding, international agreement to end plastic pollution, with the… Read More

7 Things to Know About Jakarta’s Air Pollution Crisis

On August 31, 2023, Jakarta residents woke up to a thick blanket of haze and news that their city was again ranked the most polluted city in the world by Swiss technology company IQAir. Read More

Making Power Smarter in Pakistan

In the summer, the city of Multan in Pakistan can reach scorching temperatures of 120 degrees — with more extreme heat expected in the future due to climate change. Multan is known for agricultural production, and in this heat, crops need a steady supply of water. Mureed Abbas, a… Read More

How USAID is Advancing Low-Carbon and Climate-Resilient Solutions in Cities

Cities are on the frontline of the climate crisis–both experiencing severe climate impacts and leading on ambitious solutions to protect communities and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Cities in developing countries face development and environmental challenges like pollution, limited access to financing, food and water insecurity, inadequate infrastructure, and social and… Read More