Breathing Life into Amazonian Cities: A transformative investment case for clean air, health equity and economic opportunity

The cities of Brazil’s Amazon region face soaring air pollution, but clean air investments could bring major health-cost savings and job growth

An aerial view of the city of Manaus, Brazil by the coast
The cities of Brazil’s Amazon region, such as Manaus, shown above, have grown considerably in recent decades — and air pollution has grown with them. (Getty)

The cities of Brazil’s Amazon region—the lungs of the world—are facing an air pollution crisis. A new EDF report, supported by Breathe Cities, finds more than 10 million urban residents now breathe unsafe air across the region, leading to more than 3,000 premature deaths in cities and nearly $5 billion USD in health costs every year.

But the report also has good news: Targeted investments can turn things around. Solutions like electrifying transport, updating air quality monitoring and deploying renewables can deliver up to 33x returns and create more jobs per dollar spent than fossil fuels.

Download the report [PDF]

Infographic displaying top facts about various solutions' impact on the air pollution crisis

A call to action

Brazil has an opportunity to advance a coordinated set of clean air investments in cities across the region, with support from development banks and climate funds and with shared ownership by communities and businesses. This is not only an environmental imperative, but also a health, climate, equity and economic opportunity of global relevance.

With new national air quality standards recently enacted in Brazil, now is the time for Brazil to set a bold example for other countries to follow, catalyzing greater clean air investments around the world.

Download our policy brief outlining top clean air investments for Amazon cities.

Download the policy brief [PDF]

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