Thanks to programmes like the Global Burden of Disease, the Committee on the Medical Impacts of Air Pollution and rigorous research, we can say with some confidence that between 28,000 and 36,000 people in the UK die prematurely every year as a result of air pollution. A recent study in India estimates their national annual toll at over 650,000. Globally, 9 of every 10 people breathe air containing “high levels of pollutants”.

Despite this there’s still a lot we don’t know about air pollution, and less still about how to ensure everyone has clean air to breathe. There is a proliferation of air quality indices, standards and sensors, but we’re yet to find agreement on what clean air is and its value.

This is why the Universal Commons Measurement Challenge - under development in Nesta's Challenge Prize Centre - is focusing on metrics of air quality. We have the science behind us, but we don’t yet have enough agreement to allow us to get on with the problem of cleaning up our air.

Like in so many other areas, we believe clear measures are the key to coordinated progress. The Universal Commons wants to find a metric of air quality we can use to invest in the outcome of cleaner air, promoting the idea that we can work to improve air quality now, rather than waiting for the best metric to find us.

And it's never been more important that we act. Air pollution is a global issue, and demands a global response, but the problem isn't the same for everyone. One look at the WHO's Global Ambient Air Pollution map will show you that the worst of the problem is felt in cities, especially cities across the global south. Nesta is committed to finding the most innovative and lasting solutions to air pollution, that work the world over.

To find out more about how we intend to do this, feel free to email [email protected].