Former Colombian mayor to lead global air quality organisation

Jaime Pumarejo, the former Mayor of Barranquilla, has been named to lead Breathe Cities to support municipalities around the world to cut air pollution and climate emissions.

The organisation, launched in June last year, is a US$30-million partnership between Bloomberg Philanthropies, Clean Air Fund, and C40 Cities, that aims to reduce air pollution and halve climate emissions within 10 years.

“[Breathe Cities] builds on learnings from successful pilot programmes in London and Warsaw, which aimed to monitor air pollution and inform policies to deliver cleaner air,” Jane Burston, CEO, Clean Air Fund, told Cities Today. “Drawing on the combined expertise [of all three partner organisations], Breathe Cities is rooted in an evidence-based strategy which combines data, policy and community engagement to exchange knowledge and scale local impact.”

Pumarejo served as Mayor of Barranquilla between 2020-23, and was recognised for successfully steering the city through the Covid-19 crisis and establishing it as a model for sustainable and inclusive urban development. He served as Colombia’s Housing and Urban Development Minister in President Juan Manuel Santos’ government in 2017.

“[His] achievements include reclaiming a degraded mangrove forest, supporting re-greening initiatives, the development of solar and wind-powered infrastructure, and advancing international collaborations for ambitious projects,” said Burston.

He was also chosen as one of the OECD’s Champion Mayors for Inclusive Growth, awarded the World Research Institute’s Ross Center Prize for Cities, and named as Best Mayor in Colombia between 2020-23 by the NGO, Colombia Líder.

Burston said that a range of candidates from cities around the world were shortlisted and interviewed but that Pumarejo was appointed “because of the wealth of experience he brings to the role”.

Breathe Cities focuses on four key pillars to support municipal leaders: data and research; stakeholder and community engagement; technical policy assistance; and lesson-sharing.

Current members include Accra, Brussels, Jakarta, Johannesburg, Milan, Nairobi, Paris, Rio de Janeiro and Sofia, along with the pilot cities – London and Warsaw. The process of selecting new cities to join the programme is still ongoing and more cities are expected to join in the coming months, with a focus on  the Global South.

Burston added: “Our ultimate goal is to expand the initiative to 100 cities, building a global network of ambitious cities leading the way and inspiring others to tackle air pollution and climate change, as well as providing opportunities for peer-to-peer knowledge exchange.”