Today, the Global Commission on Healthy Indoor Air launched the Global Framework for Action: Advancing Healthy Indoor Air through Societal Engagement and Market Transformation, a landmark global roadmap designed to elevate and embed healthy indoor air as a public health imperative and a market priority, ultimately institutionalizing it as an everyday expectation in buildings everywhere.

John Barrett, Chairman Emeritus at ISSA, the Association for Cleaning and Facility Solutions, served as a commissioner on the landmark effort, contributing expertise to help shape the strategic levers and actionable recommendations designed to drive global market transformation and public health impact.

Unveiled during Climate Week in New York, just one year after the commission’s launch at the United Nations, the framework provides a comprehensive and coordinated strategy for tackling one of the world’s most consequential yet underrecognized public health challenges. It calls on governments, multilateral organizations, public health institutions, businesses, building practitioners, researchers, financial institutions, professional organizations and communities to move beyond isolated interventions and align the policies, investments, innovations and everyday decisions that shape the air people breathe indoors.

The framework draws on the latest scientific evidence and a year-long collaborative process involving more than 200 commissioners from over 40 countries, bringing together expertise and experience from dozens of disciplines and sectors. They developed 40 strategic focus areas and nearly 180 recommendations spanning the major levers of market transformation that can move healthy indoor air from growing awareness to widespread and sustained adoption. The framework labors toward a shared global vision: a future in which healthy indoor air is expected, measured, valued, financed, governed and continuously improved across all the places people live, learn, work and heal. Put simply, healthy indoor air should be the norm, not the exception.

“Last year, we came together at the United Nations to launch the Global Commission and affirm through the Global Pledge for Healthy Indoor Air that healthy indoor air is a fundamental human right,” said Rachel Hodgdon, president and CEO of the International WELL Building Institute. “Today, we are putting that commitment into action. Over the past year, more than 200 leaders from more than 40 countries, including many of the world’s leading scientists, technical experts and advocates in healthy indoor air, have come together to build a first-of-its-kind global roadmap that aligns science, education, policy, innovation, investment and public demand. We did not need another report diagnosing the problem or explaining why it matters. We needed an actionable plan for changing the systems, markets and expectations that shape the air inside our buildings. That is what this framework delivers: a practical path for leaders all around the world to align their efforts and uphold the right to healthy indoor air for everyone, everywhere.”

The launch comes at a moment of profound urgency and possibility. Household air pollution alone contributes to more than 3 million premature deaths each year, but mortality is only the starkest measure of a far wider toll. Poor indoor air increases the risk of respiratory and cardiovascular disease, worsens asthma and allergies, contributes to the spread of airborne infection, and undermines learning, cognitive performance, productivity and quality of life.

The Framework, a shared strategic roadmap, shows how nine mutually reinforcing levers can shift markets, institutions, professional practice and public expectations. They include:

• Awareness and public engagement building
• Innovation, research and development
• Advocacy and policy development
• Education and training
• Market incentives and methods to drive demand
• Mobilization of financing and resources
• Codes, standards and leadership certifications
• Partnerships and collaboration
• Implementation, monitoring and evaluation

The levers are designed to reinforce one another. Research and evidence can inform standards and building practice. Innovation can affect technical feasibility, reach and cost. Policy can create demand and accountability. Financing can accelerate deployment. Education can build the workforce needed to deliver widespread improvements. Public awareness and trusted performance information can reinforce every other lever.

El Niño is strengthening, with a greater than 90% chance of a very strong event during the Northern Hemisphere fall and winter 2026-27, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast on Sept. 10.

NOAA forecasters revealed a 75% chance that the building Super El Niño will be the strongest such event on record, dating back to 1950. Weather models predict that El Niño will continue to strengthen through the end of the year.

With an event of this magnitude, the chances of experiencing impacts consistent with El Niño are larger, though not guaranteed, NOAA cautioned.

Meanwhile, no hurricanes have formed in the Atlantic Ocean 103 days into the season, which marks a new record caused by the El Niño weather pattern, CNN reported. Sept. 11 was the latest date for the first hurricanes of the season to form since satellites began tracking in 1966. Additionally, forecasters aren’t predicting a hurricane in the Atlantic for the foreseeable future.

Looking forward, just over 50% of the entire season’s activity typically occurs after Sept.10, but El Niño will likely stifle the Atlantic’s final stretch this year. Last year, the U.S. managed to avoid a hurricane landfall, and if the country manages to repeat that pattern, it would be the first time this pattern occurred since 2009 and 2010.

However, it does take a hurricane-strength system to cause significant impacts. Heavy rain from Tropical Storm Edouard on Sept. 1 resulted in dangerous flash flooding and water rescues in eastern Texas. Edouard was 14 mph shy of hurricane strength and caused rainfall totals that topped 20 inches in some areas north of Beaumont.

The U.S. experienced 12 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters during the first half of 2026 alone, causing at least US$31.9 billion in damage, according to Climate Central’s mid-year update. As September marks National Preparedness Month and the transition to cooler temperatures brings the potential for severe storms, tornadoes, flooding and early winter weather, facility managers can take proactive steps now to protect their properties and prepare for potential weather events.

“National Preparedness Month is an important reminder that preparation can make a difference when severe weather or an unexpected disaster occurs,” said Josh Miller, president of Rainbow Restoration, a Neighborly company.

Rainbow Restoration shared five ways to prepare your building before the unexpected happens:

1. Inspect and weatherproof your building: Walk the perimeter of your building and look for signs of wear or damage to the roof, windows, doors and foundation. Clear gutters and drains to help prevent water from backing up, secure outdoor furniture and décor ahead of high winds, and trim tree branches that could pose a risk to structures. As temperatures begin to fall, seal gaps around windows and doors and insulate exposed pipes to help reduce winter-related damage.
2. Build a 72-hour emergency kit: Prepare an emergency kit with enough supplies to support your team for at least three days. Include nonperishable food, drinking water, medications, batteries, flashlights, chargers or backup power sources, hygiene items, copies of important documents and a battery-powered radio. Store the kit in an easy-to-access location, and check content periodically to replace expired or depleted items.
3. Test safety equipment: Check smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers regularly to ensure they’re working properly. Replace batteries as needed and make sure everyone knows the location of safety equipment, how to use it, what emergency procedures to take and the evacuation route.
4. Create a communication plan and stay informed: Ahead of any severe weather, track local forecasts and emergency alerts throughout the event period. Agree on emergency contacts, evacuation routes and meeting points, and know your community’s official evacuation plan in case you need to leave quickly.
5. Review insurance coverage and document the property: Many owners don’t think about their insurance policy until after a disaster occurs. Review your coverage annually to understand what is and isn’t included, and keep a digital inventory of valuable belongings, equipment or business assets with photos and receipts. Having documentation readily available can help streamline the claims process if damage occurs.

When severe weather, fire, water damage or another unexpected event impacts a property, fast action can help minimize damage and begin the recovery process.