Environmental Rights Africa (ERA) Initiative
Press Statement on International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies
6 September 2025
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia–Across Africa, millions of people wake up each day to air that silently harms them. Children walk to school through traffic fumes, while communities live next to oil fields and factories where gas flaring and unchecked emissions poison the air they breathe. What should be most basic — clean and safe air, remains out of reach for far too many.
On the occasion of the 6th International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies (7 September 2025), the Environmental Rights Africa (ERA) initiative stands in solidarity with the most vulnerable communities on our continent — those forced to endure suffocation, illness, and death from toxic air. ERA reminds governments, corporations, and global institutions that clean air is not a privilege; it is a fundamental human right.
Though this day was designated by the United Nations to strengthen international cooperation in improving air quality, this year’s theme, “Racing for Air,” underscores the urgency of the crisis — particularly for frontline communities across Africa suffering the impacts of unchecked resource extraction and pollution.
ERA believes that air pollution is not only an environmental issue; it is a matter of justice, health, and survival. Dirty air robs children of their futures, burdens families with preventable illnesses, shortens lives, and deepens inequality. It also worsens the climate crisis, hitting hardest those least responsible: women, children, farmers, workers, and defenders on the frontlines.
A Legal and Moral Obligation
The right to clean air is firmly rooted in the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Article 24 guarantees all peoples a “satisfactory environment favorable to their development,” linked with the right to health (Article 16) and the right to natural resources (Article 21). Together, these provisions place a binding duty on African governments and corporations to prevent pollution, protect public health, and ensure that development never comes at the expense of dignity and life. Clean air is therefore not only a moral imperative — it is a legal duty.
This obligation is further reinforced by the recent Petition for Advisory Opinion on Climate Change and Human Rights, presented to the African Court, requesting the Court to declare that the climate crisis directly threatens rights enshrined in the Charter — including health, culture, and life itself. The Opinion underscores that states have a heightened duty to protect citizens from climate and pollution harms and to adopt ambitious, people-centered policies that safeguard both present and future generations.
A Call to Action
Africa cannot afford business as usual. The cost of inaction is measured in lost lives, worsening health, and stolen futures. Collectively, we must act now:
- Governments must go beyond promises: enforce anti-pollution laws, end gas flaring, regulate industrial emissions, and invest in renewable, people-centered energy systems.
- Corporations must put people before profit by ending harmful practices and adopting safe, clean technologies that protect communities and the climate.
- Civil Society must remain vigilant, amplify community voices, and hold power accountable so that no African is left voiceless in the fight for clean air.
ERA’s Commitment
As a coalition, ERA is committed to turning environmental rights into realities. We stand with defenders and communities to ensure that the right to clean air is recognized, protected, and enforced across Africa.
Our skies should be blue. Our air should be safe. Our children should grow up free from the invisible dangers of pollution.
This day is not simply a commemoration — it is a call to action and a demand for justice. Together, we can make the right to clean air a reality for every African.
About ERA
Environmental Rights Africa (ERA) is a Pan-African coalition of more than 55 civil society organizations from over 40 countries. Founded in 2021, ERA works to advance environmental rights, protect defenders, amplify community voices, and strengthen accountability in environmental governance.
For further enquiries, contact the ERA Secretariat in Monrovia, Liberia
Email: mrucsoplatform@gmail.com
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