A giant nearly 4 meters tall white bear will travel across Nepal accompanied by a group of young climate activists on a drive to raise awareness about air pollution in Nepal. 

To mark Earth Day, Save the Children in Nepal introduced ‘Saathi’ the ‘Air Bear’ who will travel to different parts of the country over the next six month. The bear’s fur will gradually get darker to highlight the impact of air pollution. ‘Saathi’, which means 'friend or buddy' in Nepali, will travel around the country in an Electric Vehicle (EV) provided by Thee-Go, a climate informed private company, discussing the impact of air pollution, and climate change with policymakers, influential stakeholders, and children and youth.  

 The campaigners' aim is to show the impact of air pollution on the environment and the health of children ahead of this year's G20 in India in October and the COP28 climate change summit in Dubai. 

 The World Health Organization’s data shows that almost all of the global population breathes air that contains high levels of pollutants with low and middle income countries suffering from the highest exposure. 

“People say, the sky is blue,” said Himani, 16, a young climate change activist in Nepal. “The sky that I see is dark. The air burns my eyes, and it’s hard to breathe. The air is toxic."  

The latest update of the Air Quality Life Index from the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago estimated that air pollution is the most significant threat to human health in Nepal, reducing life expectancy by 4.1 years on average, with Nepal ranking the third most polluted country globally after Bangladesh and India. In addition, air pollution is linked to respiratory diseases, heart problems, and even cognitive impairment in children.  

 Save the Children’s Country Director for Nepal, Heather Campbell, said: “Saathi, the ‘Air Bear' is a symbol of the impact of air pollution on our children's health and future. We hope this campaign will encourage duty bearers, policymakers, and influential stakeholders in Nepal to take action to address this urgent issue and create a better future for our children."

 The Air Bear initiative is part of Save the Children Nepal’s Generation Hope' campaign that aims to raise awareness of the impact of the climate crisis that is threatening the future, survival, learning, and safety of children. The threat posed to children and their rights by climate change is real and urgent. Recent research in Save the Children's Born Into the Climate Crisis report found that children born in 2020 in East Asia and the Pacific will on average face eight times more scorching heatwaves, three times more floods, and 2.5 times more droughts during their lives than their grandparents.