Mothers' 'Quilt of Hope' at WHO conference calls for stronger climate action
Mothers' 'Quilt of Hope' at WHO conference calls for stronger climate action
Cartagena Mar 26 The ‘Quilt of Hope’, curated by mothers across the globe, including from India, is a powerful collective testimony of children suffering from air pollution and reflects the urgent need for stronger climate action, according to the co-director of ‘Our Kids Climate’ movement.
A delegation of mothers from six cities across the world – who have been advocating for clean air through their movement groups - have come together to present a quilt at the World Health Organisation's second conference on air pollution and health in Cartagena.
Every single patch of the quilt tells a story of a child affected by poor air quality and highlights the devastating health consequences of pollution in cities such as Akim Wenchi , Jharia , Warsaw , Mpumalanga , Quito , and Mexicali .
Even though the stories are from six different parts of the world, the health repercussions remain strikingly similar, which include bronchitis, asthma, and other respiratory problems.
"Every child on the 'Quilt of Hope' carries a powerful message. As the quilt travels to more countries, where children and communities struggle with the impacts of air pollution, it will continue to grow, stitching together voices from around the world,” Maya Mailer, co-director of the ‘Our Kids Climate’ movement, told PTI.
"By the time it reaches COP30, it will stand as a powerful symbol of collective testimony, reflecting the urgent need for cleaner air and stronger climate action," she added.
The Indian contribution to the quilt was crafted by the ‘Warrior Moms’ movement and reflects “a call for global leaders and policymakers to act promptly on air pollution."
Speaking to PTI, the founder of ‘Warrior Moms’ group, Bhavreen Khandhari, said that India last updated its National Ambient Air Quality Standards in 2009, but new research shows that even lower pollution levels harm human health.
She further highlighted that the WHO revised its air quality guidelines in 2021 and India has also been reviewing its NAAQS, with a team led by IIT Kanpur leading the effort. “But to protect public health, this review must be expedited and prioritised,” she said.
"Encouragingly, India has been reviewing its NAAQS, with a team led by IIT Kanpur leading the effort. But to protect public health, this review must be expedited and prioritised to incorporate WHO data on the severe impacts of pollutants at lower concentrations,” Kandhari told PTI.
“Aligning India's standards with WHO recommendations would be a crucial step toward cleaner air and better health,” she added.
The upper left corner of the quilt illustrates a mother from Mpumalanga, South Africa, along with her two children - with one of them wearing an oxygen mask.
According to the delegation of mothers, the region is home to coal-fired power plants that emit high levels of sulphur dioxide and witnessed an increase in cases of asthma and developmental delays among children.
Another section of the quilt highlights the story of 12-year-old Suresh, who hails from Jharia, India, and has suffered from chronic bronchitis since childhood due to underground coal fires in his area. “His plight serves as a stark reminder of the long-term effects of air pollution,” the delegation of mothers said.
The centre of the ‘Quilt of Hope’ features cases from Mexico and Ghana, where children have been facing worsening asthma problems and inadequate access to healthcare.
In Warsaw, Poland, heavy smog from vehicle emissions and coal heating during winter fills the air, making daily life difficult for children like seven-year-old Maciek.
The story that has been displayed in the bottom right corner of the quilt highlights the struggles of the seven-year-old who has been carrying an inhaler for the past year to cope with bronchial hyperreactivity.
Another patch in the quilt shows a five-year-old child wearing an oxygen mask in Quito, Ecuador, after being diagnosed with a respiratory illness, further underscoring the impacts of polluted air on young lives.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
