The United States Environmental Protection Agency is set to team up with the Addis Ababa Environmental Protection Agency and the Ethiopian Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, to help improve the air quality management system of Addis Ababa. This is to be a project titled – USEPA Megacities Partnership- and will be launched in the capital on September 17/ 2018 inside the compound of the United Nations Conference Centre.
The new effort comes as Addis Ababa, with its ever-expanding populations and lack of infrastructure is facing a chronic problem of air pollution that has caused health damages to thousands of residents. The week-long gathering that will host senior delegates from the US and Ethiopia is set to hear on the current state of air quality and relevant policies, learn the basics of air quality management and how to design and analyze AQM strategies and policies that can improve public health.
According to the US Embassy in Addis, the objective is to “Assist Addis Ababa to develop capacity, apply tools and analysis, and motivate action to address air pollution”.
In Ethiopia, a majority of the population continues to rely on biomass fuels, such as wood and charcoal as a substitute to modern energy, helping extradite air pollution and leading to premature deaths throughout the country. Despite an improved economical status of the nation, there is no environmental quality control within the country.
While the Government of Donald Trump continues to be lukewarm to the needs of the environment and international development, EPA continues to collaborate with local partners on sustainable development projects that impact some of the most vulnerable populations in the world.
The gathering is set to hear from a number of dignitaries, including the acting mayor of Addis Ababa, Tekele Uma Benti and the ambassador of the United States to Ethiopia, Michael Raynor.
Source-Reporter newspaper
EPA, USEPA collaborate to improve air quality