Across Africa, the land we stand on and the air we breathe are both rapidly being eroded. From the arid parts of the Sahel to bustling urban centres, air pollution and land degradation are wreaking havoc on multiple fronts. Africans pay for them in income, food security, climate stability and public health.
Robust national and regional strategies are key, ideally along with global targets. The continent’s leaders have an opportunity to set these at the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) COP16 holding in Riyadh.
Air pollution ranks among the leading environmental health risks globally and is responsible for one in nine deaths globally. In Africa, this translates to over 400,000 premature deaths annually, often linked to dust storms caused by land degradation, desertification and deforestation. Meanwhile, two-thirds of the African continent is desert or drylands, further worsening air quality and reducing agricultural productivity, affecting both urban centers and rural and cross-border area.
With 70% of sub-Saharan Africa population under the age of 30, many of whom directly dependent on land and natural resources for sustenance, there is a pressing need to tackle the interconnected challenges of air pollution and land degradation.
Degraded lands release dust and pollutants that worsen air quality, while air pollution accelerates soil degradation and desertification. A unified approach to bridge the gap between sustainable land management and effective air quality governance can break this vicious cycle and enhance the resilience of African populations.
Deforestation, agricultural emissions, and dust from degraded lands are some of the sources of air pollution that impact entire regions. The transboundary nature of air pollution further complicates mitigation efforts, as pollutants move across borders, affecting countries beyond their source. Discussions at the recent 10th Special Sessionof the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) emphasised the need for coordinated action to mitigate these impacts, underscoring that countries cannot effectively tackle these problems alone.
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) presented a 2023 Guide on Ambient Air Quality Legislation to support countries aiming to strengthen or develop national air quality legislation and governance frameworks. To address immediate pollution sources, but also mitigate long-term impacts such as land degradation, the Guide emphasises the importance of robust governance systems, cross-sector collaboration, monitoring systems, and actionable and enforceable standards on air quality.
UNEP’s efforts, through the Montevideo Environmental Law Programme, to promote air quality legislation align closely with the broader environmental goals set for UNCCD COP16 to combat desertification and promote sustainable land management. By incorporating air quality provisions that regulate emissions from unsustainable agricultural practices and deforestation into domestic legislation, African countries can enhance their holistic environmental governance.
Robust national air quality legislation enforces strict emission controls, promotes sustainable land use practices, and invests in monitoring systems. To ensure these laws are effectively implemented, building institutional capacity is essential. Furthermore, because pollutants transcend political boundaries, cross-border agreements and regional collaboration are essential to addressing transboundary pollution.
Cote d’Ivoire is one of the first African countries to have begun working with UNEP to align domestic legislation and regulation on air quality with global best practices. This helps ensure national policies are well designed and can be effectively implemented.
Integrating robust air quality governance frameworks into national and regional policies offers a pathway to reducing pollution and addressing its impact on land and livelihoods. This will achieve much of what is needed to break the cycle where degraded lands contribute to poor air quality, which in turn drives further degradation.
The time for decisive action is now. As the 10th AMCEN Special Session set the stage for discussions at the UNCCD COP16 in Riyad, air quality governance should be prioritised in environmental policy. This integrated approach requires commitment, resources, and international cooperation. These will hugely pay off countries in public health, economic growth, and help build a resilient future for all, across Africa.
By Patricia Kameri-Mbote, Director of the Law Division, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
