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View all search resultsClean air cannot wait for Asia’s megacities
Transportation emissions pose our most pressing challenge and our greatest opportunity.
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A pedestrian wearing a mask is seen walking in front of the Tosari Transjakarta bus shelter in Central Jakarta on Dec. 8, 2025. (The Jakarta Post/Iqro Rinaldi)
Across Asia’s megacities, children breathe polluted air every day, and for too long, we have treated it as inevitable.
In Jakarta, we are choosing not to. As part of Breathe Cities, a global initiative delivered by Bloomberg Philanthropies, C40 Cities and the Clean Air Fund, and in partnership with local communities, we are tackling air pollution as part of our efforts to improve public health.
Earlier this year, we measured the air that our schoolchildren breathe. The results were sobering: four out of five children were exposed to dangerously high levels of fine particulate pollution, levels that can stunt growth, trigger asthma and cause lifelong health consequences.
For us as city leaders, this is not just data. It is a call to action. We are the first line of defense for our residents’ health, and we refuse to accept dirty air as an inevitable part of city life.
As we gather in Bangkok, a fellow Breathe City, for the Better Air Quality Conference this week, we call on urban leaders across Asia to join us in prioritizing public health, and taking bold steps to secure clean air for all.
Jakarta is on track to become a world-class capital and enter the top 50 of the Global Cities Index by 2030 (currently ranked 71st). Becoming a truly global city is not just about economic connectivity or infrastructure, it is creating a safer and healthier future for all. And that starts with the air our residents breathe.
Our approach is guided by data. Expanding Jakarta’s air quality sensor network through Breathe Cities has enabled us to identify where pollution is worst and which sources matter most. The evidence is clear: transportation emissions pose our most pressing challenge and our greatest opportunity. With more than 20 million vehicles, 85 percent of which are private, Jakarta is accelerating the transition to cleaner transportation to reduce emissions and protect public health.
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