The public health threat of air pollution in Africa, which already results in 1.1 million premature deaths annually, is expected to intensify under rapid urbanization and population growth. To develop strategies for improving air quality monitoring and research in East Africa, scientists from around the world convened for workshops virtually in 2021 and in-person in Kigali, Rwanda in 2023. The Climate Program Office’s Atmospheric Chemistry, Carbon Cycle and Climate (AC4) program partially supported the Kigali workshop. Local decision-makers and international scientists and experts participated in the workshop. Shiv Das from the AC4 Program and Steven Brown from the Chemical Science Laboratory (CSL) represented NOAA. They are included in the photo above showing the attendees of the Kigali workshop.
The meeting led to a new publication in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society proposing an integrated observing and modeling strategy. These efforts work to fill the gap in data and infrastructure that hampers air pollution control in East Africa. Through fostering international partnerships and building local capacity, this initiative aims to better understand and manage air pollution in Africa, benefiting both regional public health and global atmospheric science.
For more information, contact Clara Deck.
Image credit: Pixabay
