He stated that according to the 2024 State of the Global Air Re­port, air pollution was the second leading risk factor for deaths glob­ally, with over 8.1 million prema­ture deaths recorded in 2021.

“More than 28,000 Ghanaians die annually due to exposure to poor air quality, with particulate matter being the main culprit,” he revealed.

This came to light during the national commemoration of the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, held on Friday at Tema, on the theme “Racing for Air.”

The event organised by the En­vironmental Protection Authority (EPA), also included the launch of a new air pollution monitoring net­work in Tema that would provide real-time data to track pollution levels in the region.

Mr Buah, in an address deliv­ered on his behalf by the Deputy Minister of Lands, Alhaji Yusif Sulemana, underscored the urgent need for collective action to com­bat air pollution.

He said air pollution was not merely an environmental issue but a pressing health and development concern that costs lives and drains the economy.

“Air pollution is a public health crisis, a climate threat and an obstacle to sustainable develop­ment, the pursuit of clean air must be seen not only as an economic necessity but as a matter of justice and a fundamental human right,” he stressed.

The Minister lamented that rapid urbanisation, increased vehicular traffic, industrialisation, poor waste management and climate change had worsened the country’s air quality.

The economic burden, he said, was equally alarming, with air pollution estimated to have cost the country 2.5 billion US dollars, equivalent to 4.2 per cent of the country’s GDP in 2017.

“The solution does not lie with government alone. Every effort counts. The decisions we take today will determine the quality of life for generations to come,” Mr Buah noted.

The Chief Executive Officer of EPA, Prof. Nana Ama Brown Klutse, in a speech read on her behalf by the Acting Deputy Chief Executive Officer in charge of Technical Services, EPA, Mrs Esi Nerquaye Tetteh, stressed that clean air was a fundamental human right and integral to the fight against climate change.

She highlighted worrying statistics from the World Health Organisation (WHO), which shows that 99 per cent of the world’s population live in areas with unsafe air quality, with populations in low and middle-income countries such as Ghana exposed to levels 1.3 to 4 times higher than global standards.

Prof. Klutse announced that Par­liament had passed the long-await­ed Air Quality Management Regulation into law, which would facilitate enforcement of standards and promote effective air quality management.

The Acting Director of the Environmental Quality Unit at the EPA, Mrs Selina Amoah, explained that the Tema network would ensure transparency by providing the public access to live data on air quality.

This, she said, would foster accountability and encourage col­lective action to reduce pollution.

“When you know the level of pollution and realise it is high, it creates urgency to act. This system will also help trace sources of pol­lution and ensure immediate action is taken,” she noted.