Few studies examine urban air pollution in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), yet urbanization rates there are among the highest in the world. In this study, authors measured 8-hr average occupational exposure levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), black carbon (BC), ultra violet active-particulate matter (UV-PM), and trace elements for individuals who worked along roadways in Nairobi, specifically bus...

Background: Disparities in exposure to air pollution by race-ethnicity and by socioeconomic status have been documented in the United States, but the impacts of declining transportation-related air pollutant emissions on disparities in exposure have not been studied in detail.Objective: This study was designed to estimate changes over time (2000 to 2010) in disparities in exposure to outdoor conce...

Air pollution is one of the leading causes of health complications and mortality worldwide, especially affecting lower-income groups, who tend to be more exposed and vulnerable. This study documents the relationship between ambient air pollution exposure and poverty in 211 countries and territories. Using the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 2021 revised fine particulate matter (PM2.5) thresholds...

Black carbon (BC) is a major component of ambient particulate matter (PM), one of the six Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Criteria air pollutants. The majority of research on the adverse effects of BC exposure so far has been focused on respiratory and cardiovascular systems in children. Few studies have also explored whether prenatal BC exposure affects the fetus, the placenta and/or the co...

Background: Low birth weight is associated with increased risks of health problems in infancy and later life. Among the epidemiological analyses suggesting an association between air pollution and birth weight, few have estimated the effects of black carbon (BC) or together with nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and even fewer studies have used causal modelling.Methods: Authors examined 1,119,011 birth reco...

Women and men travel differently in low- and middle-income countries. This paper provides an overview of the evidence on key features of women’s travel behavior and the barriers they face in accessing public transport in developing countries, including affordability, frequency, coverage, comfort, and safety. Women make more frequent, shorter trips with more stops along the way to combine multiple ...

She Drives Change: A Toolkit for Redefining Opportunities for Women in Transport is a comprehensive resource designed to empower transport sector professionals and policy makers to address disparities in mobility, employment, and entrepreneurship between women and men within the transport sector. The objective of this toolkit is to provide users with a structured approach to identifying and addres...

Background: Street vending, a dominant occupation in urban areas of developing countries exposes the vendors to several environmental pollutants. Authors investigated whether work as street vendor impairs foetal growth and shortens gestational duration, and evaluated to what extent exposure to traffic-related air pollution is responsible for these adverse effects.Methods: A cross-sectional study w...

Oil price increases that began in late 2020 have led to a global proliferation of liquid fuel subsidies and price controls, as governments sought to reduce, redistribute, or delay the impact of rising and volatile energy prices on consumers. This report draws on two new global databases developed by the World Bank to examine petroleum product pricing regimes and consumer price subsidies implemente...

HIGHLIGHTSMuch has been written about scaling climate finance, but less is known about its use in specific sectors, such as transport. Authors examined the landscape of international climate finance for transport in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, looking at 839 transport projects and conducting 14 case studies. The international climate finance mechanisms they studied included climate funds, mul...