Breathable billboards to mark new clean air campaign

Global Action Plan has launched new ‘breathable billboards’ to mark a new campaign toolkit which sets out the urgent case for immediate action on tackling air pollution. 

The ‘breathable billboards,’ which are based at three sites in London, use flowering lungs to remind commuters to be conscious about their travel choices in order to prevent pre-COVID-19 levels of air pollution. 

The lungs react in real-time to localised pollution data from the Clean Air Hub. 

When air pollution levels are low the lungs bloom and when air pollution is high or is approaching illegal levels, the lungs appear withered. 

The #BuildBackCleanerAir campaign, which has launched in tandem with the billboards, aims to highlight the renewed case for action on air pollution to help protect people from COVID-19. 

Based on primary social research and secondary scientific data over the lockdown period, the report and campaign toolkit presents evidence to the government, local authorities, and campaigners to emphasise the urgency of building back cleaner air.

The report highlights that it is likely that air pollution makes people more vulnerable to catching COVID-19 with poor air quality also impacting patients long-term recovery.

The report also highlights the possibility to reduce air pollution with 72% of people believing that clean air is more important now than ever before. 

Larissa Lockwood, head of Air Quality at Global Action Plan says: ‘We have an unprecedented opportunity to build back cleaner air as part of our ‘new normal’ as we recover from this COVID-19 crisis.

‘As this report shows, the case for action on air pollution has never been greater, or more important, because air pollution looks to be making us more vulnerable to this coronavirus.

‘Moments to maintain profound change like this rarely come along. By presenting this clear mandate from the public for decision-makers and businesses to act more urgently and more radically to tackle air pollution, we must together seize this moment and build back cleaner air.’