Virtual Dialogue - Using the law to reduce air pollution: opportunities for cancer prevention and health equity

Exposure to air pollution is among the leading factors that increase the risk of developing and dying from cancer, yet it is still often missing from cancer control policies and advocacy efforts around the world. While awareness, evidence generation, and policy commitments are essential, lasting progress often depends on effective legal and regulatory frameworks that translate commitments into action. 

For cancer organisations and advocates, legal approaches offer valuable tools to advance cancer prevention, protect vulnerable populations, and improve health equity. By framing clean air as a public health and human rights issue, legal tools can help drive implementation, strengthen accountability, and ensure that governments meet their obligations to protect health. 

This Virtual Dialogue will explore how law can be used to reduce population exposure to air pollution and provide cleaner, healthier environments. Bringing together experts from the fields of public health, law and advocacy, the discussion will examine practical examples of legal action, regulation, and accountability mechanisms, and consider how cancer organisations can engage more effectively in these processes.

Participants will have the opportunity to:

• Understand how legal and regulatory approaches can help reduce exposure to air pollution and prevent cancer.
• Explore real-world examples of laws, regulations, and accountability mechanisms being used to drive action on clean air. 
• Identify opportunities for cancer organisations and advocates to engage in legal and policy processes at national and local levels.
• Exchange experiences and ideas with experts and peers working across cancer control, environmental health, public health law and advocacy.

Speakers: 

• Astrid Puentes Riaño, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment
• Suzanne Zhou, McCabe Centre for Law and Cancer (Moderator)

Additional speakers will be announced soon. 

This Virtual Dialogue is hosted by UICC and the McCabe Centre for Law and Cancer as part of the Clean Air and Cancer Control Series.