Poland has some of the most toxic air in all of Europe, with 23 of the 50 most polluted cities in the European Union located in the country.

Much of this air pollution comes from common household boilers that burn wood and coal. Emissions from cars and factories exacerbate poor air quality and lead to 40,000 deaths from pollution-related illnesses every year.

Launched in 2015, Polish Smog Alert is a campaign group comprised of more than 50 local clean air initiatives dedicated to improving air quality in Poland. By increasing public awareness of the health impacts of air pollution and introducing anti-smog regulations at both the local and national levels, this movement has helped secure policy change that has improved air quality and public health across the country.

In 2023, Polish Smog Alert was named an Earthshot Prize Finalist in the “Clean Our Air” category, and the group receives tailored support from the Prize's Global Alliance of partners to continue making a difference and driving urgent climate action. Our founder, Mike Bloomberg, serves as Global Advisor to the Winners of The Earthshot Prize, and Bloomberg Philanthropies – alongside Bloomberg LP – has supported The Earthshot Prize since its creation in 2020 as a Global Alliance Founding Partner.

On this episode, Katherine Oliver sits down with Polish Smog Alert co-founders Anna Dworakowska and Andrzej Guła to discuss the group’s mission to clean the air, their experience with The Earthshot Prize, the successes they have had so far, and where they will go from here.

140. Tackling Air Pollution Across Poland

From vaccines to seat belts, public health measures have significantly impacted our lifespans and quality of life for decades.

And yet, the work itself is often underfunded, undervalued, and misunderstood.

The Invisible Shield, a new four-part documentary series on PBS – produced by RadicalMedia and made possible by Bloomberg Philanthropies, explores the hidden public health infrastructure that makes modern life possible. Featuring interviews and insights from public health leaders and global experts, the series examines the field’s major achievements and the dedication of the public health sector in times of crisis.

On this episode, Katherine Oliver sits down with two public health experts featured in The Invisible Shield, Dr. Sandro Galea, Dean of the Boston University School of Public Health, and Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Vice Dean for Public Health Practice and Community Engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, to discuss how they started their careers, the importance of data collection, and the biggest obstacles to implementing public health policies.

141. The Invisible Shield that Protects Us

Air pollution is now the second leading risk of death worldwide, accounting for 8.1 million deaths globally in 2021.

As the world’s urban population grows, it is critical for policymakers and citizens to have access to data-driven scientific research that can empower communities and inform important environmental, air quality, and public health policy decisions.

The State of Global Air 2024 report by the Health Effects Institute provides a comprehensive analysis of data for air quality and health impacts for countries around the world. It serves as a key resource for governments and initiatives such as Breathe Cities, informing their work supporting cities to curb their air pollution and climate emissions.

On this episode, Katherine Oliver sits down with Antha Williams, who leads the Environment program at Bloomberg Philanthropies, Dr. Pallavi Pant, who leads the Global Health program at the Health Effects Institute, and Jaime Pumarejo, the first-ever Executive Director for the Breathe Cities initiative and the former Mayor of Barranquilla, Colombia, to discuss the state of global air pollution, how policymakers can use air quality data to inform their work towards climate progress, and why it’s important to tackle this issue at the local level to improve and save lives.

142. Using Data to Tackle Air Pollution

Generative artificial intelligence has the potential to transform local government. That’s why city officials everywhere are working to harness its promise—from redesigning infrastructure to reimagining emergency response—alongside managing its pitfalls.

Still, it’s a new frontier for municipalities, one that’s especially difficult to confront without the help of peers. To bridge the gap, in October 2023, our Government Innovation program at Bloomberg Philanthropies together with the Bloomberg Center for Government Excellence (GovEx) at Johns Hopkins University launched City AI Connect: a global learning community and digital platform for cities to trial and advance the usage of generative artificial intelligence to improve public services—together.

Building on more than a decade of bolstering data capabilities in city halls, our City AI Connect team has spent the past 8 months in the artificial intelligence-trenches with local officials. Each day on the platform, more than 500 city leaders convene to experiment, strategy-share, and navigate the intricacies of putting this emerging technology to work for residents’ benefit.

On this episode of Follow the Data, Katherine Oliver sits down with Claudia Juech from our Bloomberg Philanthropies Government Innovation program team alongside Denise Riedl, Chief Innovation Officer of the City of South Bend, Indiana and Kyle Patterson, Chief Innovation Officer of the City of Boise, Idaho—two City AI Connect super users—to hear about the innerworkings of this new effort. They also discuss how their cities—and peers in other cities—are capitalizing on the generative artificial intelligence movement to bring their governments—and communities—into the future, for good.

143. A New Frontier for Local Government: Generative AI

Last year, the Perelman Performing Arts Center opened in New York City - the last major piece in the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site. Its opening marks a new chapter in the story of Lower Manhattan as a center of culture and creativity.

The space - dubbed PAC NYC for short - includes three theatres with movable walls and seats that expand and contort to create endless possibilities of layouts to stage a wide variety of shows. From a reimagination of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats to free programming on the lobby stage, PAC NYC’s inaugural year has hosted an impressive range of performances.

Over the past year, PAC has welcome around 200,000 guests into their building and hosted 238 separate free performances with artists from 24 different countries.

On this episode of Follow the Data, Katherine Oliver is joined by Khady Kamara Nunez, Executive Director of PAC NYC, and Bill Rauch, Artistic Director of PAC NYC, to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the PAC's opening. Together, they discuss what drew them to working at this brand-new venue and what's to come for the Perelman Performing Arts Center.

144. A Home for Arts and Culture in Lower Manhattan

Around the world, public leaders are confronting a growing distrust in government.

In these divided times, a mayor’s work becomes increasingly important. As the governing body closest to their residents, they are often the ones left reminding their communities of what we have in common—and why those things are worth fighting for.

So how can local leaders proactively take the lead on building social solidarity, and rebuilding trust in government, from the bottom up? We looked to Istanbul, Turkey for a bold answer.

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu is addressing this increasingly global challenge in his city with his Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Mayors Challenge-winning project, Pay-It-Forward, which leverages municipal data to match residents in need with community members that can provide support. From helping neighbors pay utility bills during the pandemic to rallying global aid during a national earthquake disaster, this city-led platform brings people together to solve challenges. Since its inception, it has delivered over $12 million USD in aid.

On this episode of Follow the Data, James Anderson, who leads Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Government Innovation program, joins Mayor İmamoğlu on stage at Bloomberg CityLab 2024 in Mexico City to discuss the state of democracy from the ground floor of cities, and how solutions like Pay-It-Forward offer an inspiring path for mayors around the world to build social cohesion locally and around the world, at scale.

145. In Defense of Democracy

20 years ago, the late Christo and Jeanne-Claude transformed Central Park with The Gates, a temporary public art installation featuring 7,503 saffron-colored gates adorned with free-flowing fabric. After being elected as Mayor of New York City, Mike Bloomberg worked with the artists to bring their vision to life.

The results? Over its 16 days on display, the public art piece drew more than four million visitors to Central Park in the middle of winter and brought an estimated $254 million in economic activity to the city.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude were known for their site-specific, large-scale public artworks, which often reimagined landmarks or landscapes into surreal spaces with objects, fabrics, textures, and colors. From surrounding 11 islands in Miami’s Biscayne Bay with bright pink fabric, to wrapping Paris’s Pont Neuf bridge with silky, golden fabric, the pair created bold and brilliant outdoor projects that spanned the globe and garnered international acclaim for their expansiveness and originality. 

The point of their installations? It was simple; no deeper meaning was contained within the works, but they provided visitors with joy, beauty, and new perspectives on familiar spaces.  

For a limited time, the public can experience a portion of The Gates through an augmented reality experience in Central Park powered by the Bloomberg Connects app and learn more about Christo and Jeanne-Claude's NYC projects at Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The Gates and Unrealized Projects for New York City, the latest exhibition at The Shed.

On this episode of Follow the Data, Megan Sheekey sits down with Patti Harris, CEO of Bloomberg Philanthropies, and Vladimir Yavachev, Director of Projects at the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation, to dive deeper into the 20th anniversary of The Gates, the prolific life and works of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, and the critical role public art plays in cities around the world.

146. Celebrating The Gates in Central Park and the Power of Public Art

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