The Second WHO Global Conference on Air pollution and Health was held in Cartagena, Columbia from 25–27 March 2025. This conference focused on accelerating action for clean air, clean energy access, and climate change mitigation. It leveraged insights from the COVID-19 pandemic, from experts who explored solutions to improve indoor environments, reduce health risks, and align air quality goals across sectors and regions.
Distinguished Professor Lidia Morawska, Thrive Centre Director, presented two sessions at the conference. One presentation titled “Healthy indoor spaces: Improving indoor air quality to protect our health” examined pollutants, health impacts, and mitigation strategies in diverse settings.
She presented a second session titled “Bridging air pollution, health and climate: Tackling black carbon and ultrafine particles”, where she gave an overview of the exposure and health effects of ultrafine particles. Black carbon and ultrafine particles present significant health and climate risks. This session reviewed the latest evidence on exposure and health effects, highlighted actionable mitigation strategies, and encouraged collaboration across sectors. Discussions focused on how integrated approaches can achieve measurable health benefits while driving progress in air quality and climate action.
For more information, visit the WHO conference website.
