We organised a session on Healthy Air Zones in partnership with WRI India at the Mumbai Climate Week, 2026 focused on translating city-level clean air commitments into local action. The discussion drew on lessons from Artha Global’s ongoing three-year collaboration with the Government of Andhra Pradesh to design and pilot Clean Air Zones aimed at reducing transport-related air pollution in urban areas.
This experience grounded conversations on how zone-based implementation can be anchored in public health priorities and community engagement. What emerged was that working at the neighbourhood level makes enforcement more visible and immediate, reducing the scope for delays and diffused accountability.
Shashi Verma from Transport for London, who is our knowledge partner in the project, spoke about London’s long journey implementing LEZs and ULEZs to achieve a dramatic improvement in London’s air quality since the 1950s.
