The General Assembly of the United Nations on the 19^th of December 2019, during its 74^th Session, adopted the Resolution that established the celebration of International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies on 7^th September each year. The aim is to raise public awareness of the threat of air pollution. There is an increasing interest of the international community in clean air. Industrialization and in general human activities have polluted the air we breath and there is a need now to make further efforts to improve air quality not only to protect human health but also to transit toward a more gren and sustainable industry.

Air pollution has a serious health impact, in fact tiny, invisible particles of pollution penetrate deep into our lungs, bloodstream and bodies causing serious helth problems. Noteworthy these pollutants are the cause of about one-third of deaths from stroke, chronic respiratory disease, and lung cancer, also they are related to one quarter of deaths from heart attack. What’s more ground-level ozone, produced from the interaction of many different pollutants in sunlight, is responsible for many forms of asthma and chronic respiratory illnesses.

Furthermore air pollution has an impact on Climate if you consider that short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) are among those pollutants most linked with near-term warming of the planet. These pollutants persist in the atmosphere for as little as a few days or up to a few decades. Reducing these elements in the atmosphere we can have an almost immediate health and climate benefits.

The UN has recognized the need to improve air, water and soil quality not only to mitigate the effects of climate change but also, above all, to reduce the number of deaths and illnesses by 2030 linked to air pollution. Indeed, without aggressive action, it is estimated that the number of deaths due to air pollution will increase by more than 50% by 2050.