The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) is an independent nonprofit research organisation and think tank. It was founded in Helsinki in 2019. CREA was created to track the impacts of air pollution and reveal the trends, causes, and health impacts of pollutants, aiming to provide data-backed research products. The problem it addresses is the significant health and environmental damage from fossil fuel use, noting that health-harming pollutants from burning fossil fuels are responsible for at least 3 million air pollution deaths annually.
CREA works by producing data-driven analysis on air pollution, fossil fuel use, clean energy, and their associated health and environmental impacts. Its mechanism involves using scientific data and evidence to support governments, companies, and campaigning organizations worldwide in their efforts to move towards clean energy and clean air. For instance, it conducts Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) to quantify the health and economic burden of industrial pollution, such as its report on the Chandrapur Super Thermal Power Station in Maharashtra.
CREA's work connects directly to the global energy transition and clean-air policy. Its research is often cited in the context of international climate discourse, such as tracking Russian fossil fuel exports and sanctions, and its data on CO2 emissions aligns with the Global Carbon Budget (GCB) tracker. In India, CREA's research forms the bedrock of air pollution and energy discourse, analyzing the country's renewables boom and the widespread crisis of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations. There have been no recent changes to its core structure or function, but its research focus is constantly evolving to address current global and regional issues, such as its recent analysis of India's quarterly energy snapshot.