C40 Voices: Dolly Oladini, Senior Manager, Air Quality – C40 Cities

Meet the incredible people behind the work we do at C40 Cities

What motivated you to work in the climate space, and how did you become involved with C40?

It all started in the school playground when I was 12. A kid offered me a chocolate bar, I accepted it even though I never asked for it, so about 20–30 children gathered around me, begging me to give them the chocolate bar instead. 

Among the screaming children was my best friend; I thought I could either give it to her or to one of the popular kids and cash in on some social capital.

I ultimately chose loyalty and gave the bar to my best friend; she unexpectedly threw it to the ground and stomped it into pieces. We all gasped. She explained that this particular chocolate brand had a poor human rights and environmental record, therefore we should all be boycotting the brand. Most of the kids had moved on to another area in the playground at this point, but I stayed intrigued, eager to learn more. 

This was also the same year that the teen series The O.C. aired; I recall the character Sandy Cohen (a lawyer) fighting to protect the local wetlands from property developers from building on the land, which would increase traffic and, consequently, air pollution. He and Chris Martin (lead singer from Coldplay) were two famous people from my childhood using their platform to raise awareness of sustainability and social justice.

From then, I spent the rest of my teenage years studying Geography, starting a ‘Fair Trade Club’ at school and pushing my deputy headteacher to introduce recycling bins to make our school more sustainable. At 23, I successfully applied for an apprenticeship within the environment team at the Mayor of London’s Office. It was there that I developed my passion and expertise on air quality, public health and equity issues. I was also fortunate to collaborate with C40 on sustainable finance while at the Mayor’s Office – this collaboration led to me working at C40 a few years later.

What’s an accomplishment that you are proud of in your work with C40?

I joined C40 in 2018 to launch the global Air Quality Network. Collaboration is at the heart of the network, which provides cities with a platform to share best practices, challenges, knowledge and solutions. I’m proud of growing the network to 50 cities in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America and Oceania. 

My priority is integrating data and people-centred solutions with sustainability; I enjoy encouraging our cities to align their climate, air quality and public health goals with social justice objectives. I do this by connecting them to each other, but also by cultivating strategic, values-aligned partnerships between the cities, academia and the private sector. 

I’m particularly proud of connecting cities with each other, and with stakeholders such as Google, Microsoft, NASA and several universities over the years. These connections have helped 35+ cities to expand their air pollution monitoring, and several cities have announced their interest in implementing impactful policies such as a Low Emission Zone. 

An issue I would like to be more involved in is sustainable buildings, specifically the inextricable link between housing, health, indoor pollution and the cost of living crisis.

What upcoming initiatives is C40 working on that you are excited about?

C40 is a great organisation to work for as there are always many exciting initiatives happening. I perhaps feel this more deeply than others as air quality is cross-sectoral by nature

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators in the Article

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Target 3.9: By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination.
   • Indicator: Air pollution monitoring and implementation of impactful policies such as Low Emission Zones.

2. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Target 11.6: By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.
   • Indicator: Integration of data and people-centered solutions with sustainability, aligning climate, air quality, and public health goals with social justice objectives.

3. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
   • Indicator: Collaboration with multiple programs to support cities in implementing zero (or low) emission zones to prioritize public health.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Source: c40.org

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