TL;DR: Air pollution poses a severe global health and environmental threat, making accurate and open air quality data crucial. Yet, many governments do not monitor or share air quality measurements, largely due to a lack of funding and technical expertise. Stationary low-cost air quality sensors and additional support can help bridge this data gap and reduce pollution.
The global effects of air pollution
As the climate crisis intensifies, it is crucial to recognize air pollution as a significant aspect of environmental damage. The scale of this threat is staggering: ambient air pollution, which refers to outdoor air pollution, was responsible for an estimated 4.2 million premature deaths worldwide in 2019, and air pollution overall potentially resulted in as many as 8.1 million deaths in 2021.
According to the Air Quality Life Index’s 2022 data, air pollution remains the greatest external threat to human life expectancy. Unfortunately, the burden is disproportionately borne by low- and middle-income countries. Yet no region is spared, with 99% of the global population exposed to air pollution levels exceeding WHO guidelines.
The air quality data gap
With its widespread prevalence and negative impacts, there is a vested interest in accurately acquiring and sharing air quality data. Accurate air quality monitoring is an important first step in mitigating the problem of air pollution. Despite this urgent need, air quality often remains unmonitored, with 36% of the United Nations member states and dependencies’ national governments not monitoring air pollution.
This amounts to 71 countries whose collective populations comprise nearly one billion people. Of the UN countries and territories that collect data, many still do not openly share it. In fact, only slightly more than half of the world’s governments publicly share air quality data. To confront this environmental crisis, it must first be fully understood.
Open access to these metrics would enable governments and private-sector experts to effectively address pollution and help raise global awareness. This crucial information enables responders to understand the scope of the problem, its location, and its causes. OpenAQ even speculates that greater data transparency could directly benefit over 4.5 billion people. Indeed, because of air pollution’s contributions to climate change, open access to air quality measurements could benefit us all.
There are many reasons for the global air quality data gap. However, the largest reason by far is a lack of funding. Many governments cannot afford expensive air-monitoring equipment. Federal Reference Method (FRM) or Federal Equivalent Method (FEM) monitors are the scientific standard and often used to support policymaking decisions. However, these monitors can cost up to $40,000 each and require significant technical knowledge and financial resources to maintain.
Closing the gap: supplemental air quality sensors
Fortunately, other types of accurate and detailed air quality monitoring exist that can help supplement FRM and FEM monitors or fill the data gap left by their absence. One useful supplemental monitoring technology is the stationary low-cost monitor. These types of sensors can vary in quality, so it is important to use vetted high-grade models. The Clarity Node-S monitor is a reliable FCC/CE-certified example.
Stationary low-cost monitors cannot completely replace data collected by governments using FRM and FEM monitors, and ideally, they should work in tandem to produce a more holistic picture. Yet their impact in addressing air pollution should not be understated. They have been used to establish monitoring networks throughout cities such as London, where they can detect local changes and pollution inequities. Through the C40 Clean Air Cities Declaration, many cities are beginning to adopt this relatively new and inexpensive technology to commit to reducing air pollution.
Low-cost air quality sensors can play a vital role in pinpointing areas with high pollution exposure, identifying pollution sources, building evidence to support clean air initiatives, evaluating policy effectiveness, and ensuring regulatory compliance. Moreover, community groups, nonprofit organizations, and even citizens can use this technology to monitor air quality, taking up the cause where governments fall short.
Closing the gap: ending the technical knowledge barrier
Another significant barrier to the implementation of monitoring devices across the globe is the technical knowledge required to operate such devices. In a study gathering insights from officials from around the world attempting to address and manage air pollution, or air quality management (AQM) practitioners, a lack of technical capacity and other necessary knowledge stood out as a major issue obstructing air quality management. In particular, online resources were cited as challenging to navigate, and more support is needed to collect, access, and utilize high-quality, credible air quality data. This barrier is particularly pronounced in low- and middle-income countries, often the countries suffering the worst effects of air pollution.
Fortunately, steps are being taken to help bridge this knowledge gap. Intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), national governments, academia, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have developed guidance and tools to support air quality management, but these efforts alone are currently insufficient to offset the problem.
The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group has identified ways in which technology providers can help facilitate the implementation of low-cost monitors, enabling monitor sellers to help their clients overcome the knowledge barrier. Among other things, technology providers can offer clear protocols on collocation methods, solutions to energy supply disruptions, robust and responsive customer service, support with project-level budgeting, and guidance on data sharing and platform management.
Clarity Movement has made efforts to put many of these tactics into practice. In 2018, Clarity launched Sensing as a Service. This is an important step in not only supplying air quality sensors but also providing necessary in-built support for their implementation, calibration, and upkeep. This guidance allows air quality monitoring and management to be more accessible and easier to put into action.
Moreover, the Clarity Cloud simplifies and consolidates air quality data, making it understandable and easy to share. This use of modern technology minimizes the need for technical expertise, thus assisting in the collection and distribution of air quality measurements. This is connected to Clarity’s public air quality data sharing platform, which actively addresses the data gap at its root by promoting the sharing of data collected from Node-S sensors alongside data collected by reference monitors.
Take the next step in reducing pollution
Addressing the global air quality data gap is both an urgent environmental challenge and an ethical imperative. Millions of lives and the health of the planet depend on ensuring open access to accurate and reliable air quality data. Modern technologies, such as low-cost monitors, along with platforms that facilitate data sharing and accessibility, provide practical and effective ways to bridge this gap.
By equipping governments, organizations, and individuals with the tools to monitor and act on air quality issues, we can make significant progress in reducing pollution and its devastating impacts. These advancements offer a clear path toward cleaner air and healthier communities on a global scale.