A series of hyper-local pollution maps have revealed how air quality can vary drastically across even the smallest of distances.
Clean Air Walking Routes, developed by the Cross River Partnership, lets you plot your own walking routes through London in order to avoid areas with higher pollution levels. With levels from low, moderate, high to very high, the system allows you to find the cleanest air throughout the city and guides you from one area to another accordingly.
Independent monitoring by Kings College London has shown that routes identified by CPR have between 30 and 60 per cent lower pollution concentrations than heavily-used alternatives between transport hubs. For example, the route between Oxford Circus and Camden Town (shown above) has three possible options, all at 38 minutes, however, the levels of air pollution vary dramatically even across short distances.
CPR is encouraging pedestrians to use these routes by planning and delivering street signalling with relevant pollution information. These interventions are hoped to help meet goals for healthier air in London, by encouraging people to recognise how clean air can vary depending on where you are in the city.
Similarly, using Google Street View cars, engineering researchers at The University of Texas at Austin developed a proof-of-concept that let them analyse pollution levels on a block-by-block basis in Oakland, California. Not only do the results show the differing levels across a relatively small area, they can also help plug the gaps currently seen with traditional air monitoring equipment.
The research team was led by professor Joshua Apte from the Cockrell School of Engineering assistant with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Google and environmental sensor experts at Aclima. Aclima's sensor system was fitted to Google's cars and was used to map air pollution across 78 square miles of Oakland over the course of a year. The research is published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.
It mapped urban air pollution at 100,000 times greater spatial resolution than is possible with traditional government air quality monitors. For example, most large urban areas have only one air quality monitor for every 100 to 200 square miles. The UT Austin team's method maps air pollution every 100 feet. In a number of locations, the Google cars system measured air pollution levels that were several times higher than at Oakland's official monitors.
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In their analysis, the researchers identified hotspots where pollution on a single block was consistently higher than elsewhere in a neighbourhood. These pollution hotspots, unsurprisingly, included the port, busy intersections, restaurants, warehouses, industrial plants and vehicle dealerships.
"What surprised us is that there are consistently locations that can be as much as six times more polluted on one end of the block than on the other," said Kyle Messier, a UT Austin postdoctoral fellow and a co-author of the study. "Among other things, this demonstrates that people are getting disproportionate exposures of unhealthy air at some locations."
The team believes its hyper-local mobile system could be used globally, wherever the cars can run, to inform residents as well as local governments of the potential risks of air pollution.
This is the latest research that attempts to study, and address, the rising pollution levels in our cities. A recent study, published by the University of Surrey for example, found that Londoners who travel on the Tube are exposed to 68mg of harmful pollutant PM10 daily, whereas car drivers experience 8.2mg. Describing the results as an "environmental injustice" against Londoners, lead author Dr Prashant Kumar is calling for more to be to done to reduce the health risks.
But it doesn't just affect people underground. Data provided by UK-AIR, air quality information resources - Defra, UK and London Air Quality Network by the Environmental Research Group at King's College London - show pollution above ground in the United Kingdom regularly surpasses harmful levels.
At 8:00am on Valentine's Day 2017, air quality levels in London were classed as 'unhealthy for sensitive groups', with an overall rating on the air quality index of 120. This data includes the amount of PM10's and PM2.5's in the air - microscopic particles of pollution that, once inhaled, create a number of respiratory and cardiovascular issues. The day before, PM2.5 particles reached red levels, with a maximum of 154 on the AQI. At these levels, everyone "may experience health effects" with members of sensitive groups having "more serious" health complications.
The controversy surrounding London's air quality has peaked along with pollution levels in 2017. The severity of the problem came to a head when London exceeded it's annual pollution limit in just five days. January saw visible smog in the capital, with Greenpeace protests over the sky-rocketing air pollution levels.
Such levels can be tied to a country's carbon emissions, and another set of maps highlights the similar severity of these in the UK and into Europe. The interactive Electricity Map uses real-time data to show the carbon dioxide emissions across the continent.
Created by the Tomorrow project, the map is part of its efforts to "propel humanity to a sustainable state of existence by quantifying...the impact of every choice we make".
Unsurprisingly, there is a stark contrast between countries with greater levels of investment in renewable energy sources and those reliant on coal and oil-based energy. The maps allow for an in-depth analysis of a country's energy sources, thanks to an index based on a wealth of open-source data.
Poland and Montenegro are at the highest level of the scale, with a so-called 'carbon intensity' of roughly 700gCO2eq/kWh. An overview of Poland's energy consumption shows the predominant usage of coal as a means of electricity production. Coal is a substantial contributor to levels of carbon in the atmosphere and is a key factor in rising rates of pollution. In lieu of Poland's striking pollution levels, the government has proposed to reduce the amount of highly polluting coal imported into the country.
The United Kingdom is roughly mid-way on the carbon intensity scale, at 414gCO2eq/kWh. Last year, the UK dropped to 13th in the global rankings for attractiveness to clean energy companies. While it has pledged to improve sustainability in accordance with the Paris agreement, the UK's usage of wind, solar or hydropower is still dwarfed by its reliance on gas. Gas has a significant carbon intensity of 490gCO2eq/kWh - a serious contributor to UK carbon levels. The map shows that 65 per cent of our total electricity consumption is derived from fossil fuels.
Countries with the lowest intensity of carbon are those with the highest rates of renewable energy usage. France, shown on the map in vivid green, has a carbon intensity of just 91gCO2eq/kWh. It also has the greatest proportion of energy derived from nuclear power, at 83 per cent of total energy consumption. Compared to coal, the statistics indicate a much lower level of carbon intensity for nuclear power. At a mere 12gCO2eq/kWh, the levels of carbon produced are incredibly low.
Similarly, Norway derives most of its electricity through hydropower; around 94 per cent. This reliance on renewable power far surpasses other European countries and demonstrates the stark correlation between sustainable energies and cleaner air. A separate analysis of Norway's air quality recently found consistently low levels of carbon, and live readings of Norwegian air show that, in terms of the air quality index, pollution across the country poses little to no risk.
A March 2017 study published in Nature on the transboundary health impacts of global air pollution found that, in 2007, PM2.5 related premature mortality was 3.45 million people. This figure represents the death of an individual before his or her life expectancy due to exposure to air pollution. Ten years later, this number is growing.
These maps show the differences between production and consumption-based accounting of emissions, as well as the premature mortality due to PM2.5 air pollution per year. Net importers are shown in shades of red and net exporters in shades of blue. The findings suggest that the "USA, western Europe and the ‘rest of east Asia’ region (including South Korea and Japan) are net importers of pollution, exposure and deaths", meaning that our trading habits are also responsible for pollution occurring elsewhere in the world.
2017 seems set to be a pivotal year for climate policy. The health effects of pollution are becoming more apparent, particularly in the United Kingdom. A study conducted by the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, found that pollution is responsible for an estimated 40,000 deaths every year. In addition to these figures, the cost of pollution to health services is found to be in excess of £20billion annually. The report damns inactivity in regards to climate issues, stating that the health impact will only grow worse if immediate action isn't taken, saying, "Real change will only occur when everyone accepts this responsibility, and makes a concerted effort"
This article was originally published on 15 February 2017 and has since been updated.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
