Wildfires carry hidden costs that extend beyond immediate damage. They strain public health systems, disrupt employment, and drive up nearby housing costs. Proactive strategies can help reduce these long-term financial impacts.
Vehicle emissions significantly contribute to air pollution levels and emit a variety of pollutants known to be harmful to both human and environmental health. By implementing initiatives such as low-emission zones and encouraging the use of alternative forms of transport, we can reduce traffic-related air pollution.
While mining activities contribute significantly to air pollution levels, coupling real-time air quality monitoring data with more environmentally sustainable practices can help to reduce mining's impacts on both mining workers and surrounding communities.
Research shows that wildfire smoke can travel thousands of miles and, in addition to its well-known detrimental impacts on human health in the short term, may also have cumulative effects. Consequently, it is essential to establish a real-time air quality monitoring network to understand pollution exposure during wildfire season.
Poor air quality has been linked to a variety of detrimental economic impacts, especially related to healthcare expenditures, lost workdays, ecosystem damage, and decreased tourism. However, research also shows that the economic gain associated with improving the air outweigh these costs by a factor of 30, presenting clear support of air pollution mitigation action.
While construction can have a myriad of negative impacts on air quality and the climate, taking action by establishing dense air quality monitoring networks, implementing sustainable construction practices, and supporting increased regulation can help to minimize these effects on surrounding communities.
Our recent webinar highlights the innovative work of our partners that has been used to establish high-resolution air quality monitoring networks and collect, communicate, and forecast air quality information during wildfire season.
Sean Wihera, our VP of Business Development and Partnerships, joins us in conversation about his experience on the Environmental Technologies Trade Advisory Committee (ETTAC) working to advise on the export of environmental technologies.
The COVID-19 pandemic served as a reminder of the air pollution exposure disparities experienced by underresourced communities and the intersections between air quality, health, and environmental justice.
The impacts of air pollution and climate change cannot be contained to one geographical area, making it essential for different levels of government — including local, state, and national agencies — to cooperate to mitigate these environmental crises.
Mining and industrial operations are major sources of air pollution, making it highly important to monitor air quality to protect employees and surrounding communities from exposure.
Technology can be used to move policy, by providing better datasets to mayors. Panelist David Lu, CEO of Clarity Movement, highlighted the power of data.
We now have smart homes and smart cars, so it’s no surprise that our cities are becoming smarter every day. One problem plaguing many big cities is air pollution, and one company is using technology to help remedy the problem.
TenX has invested in Clarity, a three-year-old company that makes air-pollution monitoring devices which provide hyper-localised and real-time air-quality readings in metropolitan areas.