NEPA Joins Global Community on September 7 to Highlight Dangers of Air Pollution

The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) will join the global community in observing International Clean Air Day for Blue Skies on September 7, marking the first time Jamaica will commemorate the occasion.

The day will be used to raise public awareness about the dangers of air pollution and to encourage citizens to take personal responsibility in helping to reduce harmful emissions.

Manager for the Air Quality Management Branch at NEPA, Jody-Ann Marston, explained that air pollution continues to pose one of the greatest threats to public health and the environment.

“The air we breathe is essential for life and a healthy environment. Each normal resting breath draws in about half a litre of air, carrying oxygen that keeps us alive. But that same air can also carry pollutants, and when these exceed acceptable levels, our health is put at risk,” she said.

During her recent participation in a JIS Think Tank, Ms. Marston referenced the 2024 State of the Global Air Report, which identified air pollution as the second leading risk factor for death worldwide and a major driver of what the United Nations has termed the “triple planetary crisis” of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.

She also noted that Jamaica has taken steps to strengthen its regulatory framework, with updated Ambient Air Quality Standards gazetted in 2024 to align more closely with international benchmarks.

“These strengthened standards introduced a new pollutant measure, PM₂.₅, which refers to microscopic particles small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream. Limits for other pollutants such as PM₁₀, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and ground-level ozone were also tightened. These updates are expected to deliver significant public health, environmental, and economic benefits,” she explained.

To support the amendments, NEPA has expanded its monitoring network with the installation of eleven PM₂.₅ stations across the island.

The data collected helps the Agency determine the state of compliance with air-quality standards, inform national policies, and design interventions to reduce pollution.

Despite these measures, Ms. Marston stressed that NEPA cannot tackle air pollution alone.

“We have noted that backyard burning is a long-standing issue across Jamaica, so we are urging citizens to refrain from burning domestic waste and to use other methods, such as composting, recycling, and reusing,” she said.

Farmers are also encouraged to move away from slash-and-burn techniques, which contribute significantly to poor air quality.

She told JIS News that International Clean Air Day for Blue Skies is an opportunity to remind every Jamaican that reducing air pollution is a shared responsibility.

“We are really encouraging the public to continue to increase awareness of the impacts of air pollution and to take personal responsibility in reducing those impacts. Air pollution affects our health, our environment, and our economy but, together, we can make a difference,” Ms. Marston said.

For more information on NEPA’s air quality management initiatives and activities planned for Clean Air Day, persons may visit www.nepa.gov.jm.