Global Action Plan

07/08/2026

If you’d had the chance to take a GCSE in Natural History in school, what topics would you have wanted to learn?

09/07/2026

Thanks to every single one of you who wrote to your local councillor in the lead up to this year’s , we now have over 170 councillors who have pledged to be a Clean Air Champion!

Thank you to every local councillor who has signed the pledge and joined the movement of local leaders working to improve people’s health and reduce inequalities by creating healthy, connected, low carbon communities where people can breathe clean air.

Want to see if your councillor has signed the pledge? Check out our list of councillors who’ve signed the pledge at: www.cleanairhub.org.uk/clean-air-day/councillors

If not, it’s not too late to email your councillor! Go to www.cleanairhub.org.uk/clean-air-day to call on your councillor to become a Clean Air Champion.

05/07/2026

If your bike break needed repairing, would you know how to fix it?

After last week’s community workshop in Durham, these Good Life Schools students might have you sorted!

Last week, members of our team spent the day in Durham to bring together and celebrate the work of the young people, teachers and local organisations in the area who’ve been involved in our Good Life Schools programme this year.

The students partook in a bike repair workshop run by Recyke y'Bike, a local charity who specialises in refurbishing donated bikes to make cycling more accessible and affordable, while saving thousands of bikes from ending up in landfill.

The young people took part in a huge range of other activities throughout the day, including forest bathing, making their own bath bombs and sewing badges and bookmarks.

Well done to all the students who took part, including from Belmont Community School, New College Durham, St John's Catholic Secondary School, Elemore Hall School and Villa Real School.

A big thank you as well to all our community partners for delivering workshops on the day and working with the students on their projects throughout the year!

Thank you to Durham County Council, Louise Goult Textiles, OASES (Outdoor And Sustainability Education Specialists), Re-f-use CIC, Recyke y'Bike y’Bike, Litter Bug Crafts and Ecologico, as well as The National Lottery Community Fund for making Good Life Schools possible.

03/07/2026

Larissa Lockwood, our Director of Campaigns and Community Action, speaking at Foxglove’s panel discussion last week for London Climate Action Week.

The Government’s rush to build more and more energy-hungry hyperscale AI data centres is jeopardising the UK’s decarbonisation efforts, threatening water supply, delaying housing projects, contradicting local community needs and could undermine the progress made to tackle air pollution in urban areas like London.

We’re calling for a moratorium on data centres in the UK until the government develops a thorough national strategy that mitigates the harms these massive data centres will have on our environment, air quality, communities and water supply.

Add your name to the petition via the link in our bio.

23/06/2026

We’re delighted to have spent the day at bringing together young people, teachers, local organisations, supporters and councillors in Leicester who have been involved in our Good Life Schools programme this year.

Secondary students from different schools across Leicester attended our celebration event today to present their Good Life School community projects to each other, community members and local decision makers.

Good Life Schools is our student-led, National Lottery-funded programme which gives students the opportunity to design projects that tackle issues that matter most to them, while working with their local community.

A big thank you to Space Park Leicester for hosting us today, for working with us on this project, and to the community partners who’ve provided support to the students on their projects, including , Darns and Yarns, and .

Well done to all the students from Redmoor Academy, Brook Mead Academy, Beaumont Leys School, Millgate School, Lancaster Academy, Ellesmere College Leicester, and Sir Jonathan North Community College, and the members of our Global Action Plan team who made today such a big success.

23/06/2026

In the 1860s, a Sheffield fork grinder of twenty-one could only expect to live another fourteen years. Shattering grindstones accounted for some of those early deaths, but they were a minority. Most often, it was stone and metal dust lodging in grinders’ lungs that killed them.

22/06/2026

We still have some tickets available for our upcoming talk this Wednesday evening with Professor Mike Berners-Lee at Sheffield Hallam University! Tickets are free but registration is essential.

Secure your spot today 👇

Mike will discuss the polycrisis, drawing on his book 'A Climate of Truth' and the National Emergency Briefing, with hopeful concern.

19/06/2026

And that’s a wrap on 2026!

Thank you to every single one of you who got involved in Clean Air Day this year. From a primary school sing-along in Sandwell to a craft exhibition in Tower Hamlets, free buses and active travel incentives in Southampton and planting sessions and colouring competitions at a hospital in Liverpool, people all over the country have come together to learn about air pollution and call for action in creative ways.

In particular, we’d like to thank our funders Clean Air Fund, and , for making this year’s Clean Air Day possible.

📸 1: Rosa from Queen Mary’s University team, pictured with her crocheted visualisation of pollution next to the road (left) and a few metres away from it (right). This picture was taken at We Weave Air, a Clean Air Day exhibition organised by whatsthematter.uk bringing together community-rooted artworks that make air pollution visible, understandable and relatable.

📸 2: Sonja Graham, CEO at Global Action Plan pictured at the We Weave Air exhibition, looking at a crocheted visualisation of air pollution around London.

📸 3: Dr Malcolm White, our Senior Clean Air Specialist at a King’s Cross Hospital Clean Air Day event where Dr Hugh Montgomery OBE gave a talk on climate change, alongside fantastic art pieces as part of What’s the Matter CIC’s festival and art pieces from staff of the hospital, all describing the impacts and issues around air quality.

📸 4: Team members from Air Quality team with an information stall and activities as part of the We Weave Air exhibition.

18/06/2026

We were delighted to be joined by Breathe London award winners, councillors, parliamentarians, businesses, and clean air groups at Clean Air Fund’s parliamentary event this afternoon, sponsored by Liz Twist.

From the Deputy Mayor of London announcing £6million of funding, to the latest findings from CBI on the economic benefits of clean air for the nation, it was an important moment to recognise the vital work being done to improve air quality across the country, but also to highlight that there is much work still to do.

It was fantastic to be joined by Breathe London Award Winners , , William Byrd Schools and Hospital.

Breathe London is an air quality measuring network supported by the and that makes real-time pollution data available to the public through its online map.

The programme is delivered by a consortium of partners with expertise in air quality technology, data and engagement: , Global Action Plan, , CERC, and Scotswolds. Breathe London is part of , a global initiative delivered by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Clean Air Fund, and , supporting cities to clean the air and enhance public health.

Head to www.breathelondon.org to find out more.

Thank you to everyone who joined us today!

18/06/2026

Air pollution affects everyone’s health and is linked to a range of health problems throughout our lives.

That’s why it is imperative that health professionals are equipped with the necessary knowledge and advice to help patients protect themselves from the impacts of air pollution.

In preparation for , Dr Malcolm White, our Senior Clean Air Specialist, journeyed to Whips Cross Hospital yesterday to deliver an air pollution training to early career Resident Doctors working at Barts NHS Trust.

As part of the training, Malcolm walked the staff through the air quality data from the Breathe London sensor at Whips Cross Hospital and showed the doctors how they can integrate air quality data from across London (available on the Breathe London website) into patient care.

Thank you to the Whips Cross Hospital for having us and to the doctors for engaging in the training to learn more about the health impact of air pollution.

Breathe London is an air quality measuring network supported by the Mayor of London and Bloomberg Philanthropies that makes real-time pollution data available to the public through its online map.

The aim of ‘Breathe London’ is to promote and improve public access to accurate, reliable air quality data, and empower local communities to take action on air pollution by providing them with the necessary tools, resources and support.

The programme is delivered by a consortium of partners with expertise in air quality technology, data and engagement.: Vodafone, Global Action Plan, Airly, CERC, Ricardo and Scotswolds.

Breathe London is part of Breathe Cities, a global initiative delivered by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Clean Air Fund, and C40 Cities, supporting cities to clean the air and enhance public health.

Head to www.breathelondon.org to find out more.