2 May 2018: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP, or UN Environment) has launched the BreatheLife Challenge, calling on citizens to reduce their contribution to air pollution by committing to walk, bike or take public transport for 26 miles during the month of May 2018.

The goal of the initiative is to reach seven million kilometers for each of the seven million lives lost to air pollution annually, which is the equivalent of crossing the earth 150 times and reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by over 40 tons. UN Environment Executive Director Erik Solheim highlighted the BreatheLife Challenge as an opportunity to mobilize action and raise awareness to ensure that “the air we breathe is safe.”

Cities and private sector partners have joined the BreatheLife challenge. The walking app Pacer and the bike sharing company Mobike, for example, will ask their millions of users to sign on to help create cleaner air where they live. Using toolkits available on the BreathLife website, individual citizens can take the challenge and promote it by sharing it on various platforms.

BreatheLife is a joint campaign led by the World Health Organization (WHO), UN Environment and the Climate & Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) to mobilize cities and individuals to protect health and the planet from the effects of air pollution. [UN Environment Press Release] [BreatheLife Website] [BreatheLife Challenge Website] [BreatheLife Toolkits]