Air Quality

A Future Prognosis

Athena @ Shaping Tomorrow

25 September 2023
Introduction
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Contents
User Guide
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Sources
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Web Searches
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World Outlook
Main factors that cause something to happen globally
With the UN estimating that 68% of the world's population will live in urban areas by 2050, a reduction in commuting time could significantly mitigate air-quality and health concerns worldwide. Atalayar
Acinetobacter infections are now the fifth most common cause of deaths attributable to drug resistance across the globe and pose greatest threat to patients on ventilators in hospitals and nursing homes. MarketScreener
Smoke from Canadian wildfires enveloped much of Wisconsin last week, leaving Milwaukee, Madison, and other communities with among the worst air quality in the world and providing a reminder that extreme weather incidents caused by climate change will not respect borders. UpNorthNews | Wisconsin News For You
Global regions, coloured according to number of forecasts
SWOT
Strengths
  • Regional cooperation to enhance climate action, with leadership from China, could contribute to improving air quality and health resilience in Asia-Pacific. London School of Economics
  • UN countries will be required to take measures to protect children from the harmful effects of climate change, such as monitoring air quality, regulating food safety and tackling emissions and toxic lead exposure. BBC News
  • Seattle is eyeing similar efforts to develop resilience hubs at trusted community-owned locations that could offer cooling, air filtration, or other pressing climate adaptations. Grist
Weaknesses
  • Parliament seeks stricter limit and target values for several pollutants by 2030, stricter rules on compensation, and suggests Member States finance air quality measures with funding from penalties. Epthinktank
  • Lawmakers voted to delay the EU's alignment with the WHO's air quality guidelines by five years until 2035, causing concern among environmental NGOs. www.euractiv.com
  • Lack of access to early years education, dentists and ventilated classrooms are causing a fall in attendance among disadvantaged pupils in the North of England, a parliamentary report is warning. CYP Now
Opportunities
  • High spatial resolution air quality data has the potential to reveal inequitable exposure to pollution by identifying localized hotspots. ScienceDaily
  • Improving air quality is one of the biggest opportunities the world has to save lives and reduce health inequities. Scientific American
  • HS2 has ambitious environmental targets, including dust mitigation, strict emission standards and moving to all diesel-free construction sites by 2029, aimed at reducing impacts on local air quality. Air Quality News
Threats
  • At the same time, the overall decrease in river flows is likely to aggravate pollution and worsen water quality, while rising temperatures will cause wetlands and lakes in the Polissya area and in northern Ukraine to dry up, which could lead to more frequent fires and deteriorating air quality. Chatham House
  • In Sheffield alone, air pollution contributes to between 250 to 500 deaths each year, and causes life threatening illnesses such as strokes, lung cancer and cardiovascular disease. UKAuthority
  • The World Health Organization urges countries to tighten regulation of air quality standards to address the health risks of air pollution exacerbated by climate change and population ageing. London School of Economics
Influencers
Countries
Cities
People
Organizations
S-Curve

A framework that describes a 4-phase level of maturity to help determine potential and inform innovation strategy.

Weak
PC, computer, connected, data, death, engineer
Emerging
EV, artificial intelligence, building, pandemic, bus, car
Maturing
death, health, building, environment, clean, emission
Declining
airline, death, coal, car, carbon, cargo
Sentiment
Past Year: Stable
Compare changing sentiment to a benchmark of all forecasts
With the UN estimating that 68% of the world's population will live in urban areas by 2050, a reduction in commuting time could significantly mitigate air-quality and health concerns worldwide. Atalayar
An air quality alert stemming from the Canadian wildfires threatened to postpone the first game, with Chicago having the worst air pollution in the world, deemed very unhealthy by the EPA. Chicago Tribune
PEST
Political
  • The BMS SCADA system will be designed to interface and integrate with Ventilation Systems, LV Power Distribution, Portal and Ventilation Shaft Utilities and Fire Systems. Rail UK
  • Lawmakers voted to delay the EU's alignment with the WHO's air quality guidelines by five years until 2035, causing concern among environmental NGOs. www.euractiv.com
  • The World Health Organization urges countries to tighten regulation of air quality standards to address the health risks of air pollution exacerbated by climate change and population ageing. London School of Economics
Economic
  • Google Maps is expanding with three new tools to help map rooftop solar potential, air quality and pollen. EcoWatch
  • MiraCosta College, which serves more than 10,000 students at two campuses in San Diego County, California, will leverage its Gable Grant funding to start two new skilled trades programs in the in-demand fields of heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC), as well as electrical. Triple Pundit
  • The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment will study the effect of air quality on public health in the UAE. Transport Times
Social
  • HS2 has ambitious environmental targets, including dust mitigation, strict emission standards and moving to all diesel-free construction sites by 2029, aimed at reducing impacts on local air quality. Air Quality News
  • Lack of access to early years education, dentists and ventilated classrooms are causing a fall in attendance among disadvantaged pupils in the North of England, a parliamentary report is warning. CYP Now
  • In 2029, 99% of the global population will live in poor air quality places. Good e-Reader
Technological
  • The effects of air quality measures implemented in Mexico City may help to project changes in UV radiation for regions that are currently still affected by heavy smog, such as South and East Asia [9, 173]. SpringerLink
  • Cloud-related warming due to stricter air quality standards will be felt in China from around 2025 and in India from 2050. Research in Germany
  • EESSH 2, and ORP in Wales, the implementation of sensors are highlighted as good practice in ensuring homes perform as expected post intervention, whether maintenance or retrofit measure, and that there are no unintended negative consequences such as worsened indoor air quality and humidity. IoT Business News
Financial Impact
As well as the benefits from reduced greenhouse gas emissions, improvements to air quality were valued at £35 billion to 2050, fuel savings at £123 billion and other benefits to natural capital at £5 billion. GOV.UK
As a result of the improved air quality, up to 130,000 premature deaths are avoided in the coming decades, which could save $390 billion to $400 billion - enough to exceed the cost to decarbonize the electric grid. Solar Industry
The Worldwide Mechanical Ventilator Industry is Expected to Reach $11.7 Billion by 2027. Expert Ventilation Systems
Click on the dots or the lines to see the connections
System Map
Organizations
Sectors
Cities
Countries
People
Scenarios
Creates plausible alternative futures of what can happen and encourages development of a robust, agile response
Air pollution is the world's single largest environmental health risk, and one of the major risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). NCD Alliance
Air quality levels could spike to hazardous levels this week - about three weeks after New York City topped the list of the world's worst air pollution as smoke from the Canadian wildfires wafted south, turning skies orange. CNN
Similar disputes are taking place around the world as governments and companies advancing renewable energy find themselves battling communities opposed to projects that threaten wildlife, groundwater and air quality. AP News
Warnings
Changing proportion of published forecasts
Heat waves are scientifically linked to aggravated air pollution, threatening countries like India, where air quality is already one of the worst in the world. Time
Different studies across the world demonstrate how air pollution, including household air pollution e.g. stove cooking, might negatively affect pregnant women, cause adverse birth outcomes, and become a factor provoking breast cancer, blood and heart diseases. UN Women
Solutions
Know how others are tackling issues with this topic
While pollution's effect on the environment is well-known, fewer people might be aware that outdoor and indoor air pollution exposure causes an estimated 7 million premature deaths worldwide each year, and is associated with lung and heart disease, among other serious health issues. The Washington Post
While pollution's impact on the environment is well-known, fewer people might be aware that outdoor and indoor air pollution exposure causes an estimated 7 million premature deaths worldwide each year, and is associated with lung and heart disease, among other serious health issues. Yahoo News
The Philippines will endeavor to scale up near-term climate change actions through the mitigation of short-lived climate pollutants, including methane, to achieve multiple benefits for health, biodiversity, air quality and climate. Climate & Clean Air Coalition
Key topics
Extremes
Investigate what’s transforming or collapsing
Climate change represents a risk to health as extreme weather, heat, air pollution and vector-borne diseases stand to increase globally. Swiss Re
Environmental hazards that may affect workers safety and health include air pollution; heat risks and heat stress; rising sea levels; desertification and the loss of productive land; extreme weather events; and vector-borne / zoonotic diseases (which may result in future global health emergencies). International Labor Office
Spain's state weather agency, AEMET, warned of extremely unfavourable air quality levels. The Times
What's Next
Changing proportion of material mentioning future years
Government directives the world over are striving for nearly zero-energy buildings by the end of next year, and for net zero carbon buildings by 2030, meaning they will have to be 100% sustainable as far as heating, hot water, ventilation and cooling requirements are concerned. Renewable Energy World
Based on mobility, the portable ventilators segment is projected to exhibit the fastest growth in coming years with rising demand for portable ventilators from household & long-term care facilities and increasing demand from emergency medical service providers across the globe. Yahoo Finance
Questions
Can?
How can Integra technology respond to growing consumer concern over air quality? The Business of Fashion
How can information technology make our lives better through improved indoor air quality? Eventbrite
If the media can manufacture mass-sociogenic illnesses out of thin air, like Long-Covid, what makes us think syndromic surveillance will help solve the mental health crisis? Identity Dixie
How?
How can the decades-long fracturing of environmental health and public health disciplines be healed so that, for example, clean air is seen as a bulwark against infectious disease rather than a severed issue? Ensia
How will the global Crank Case Ventilation Valve market look like by the end of the forecast period? FMIBlog
How threatening could a toaster, security camera, smart doorbell, smart light switch, air-quality monitor or fitness dog collar really be? Security Intelligence
Who?
Who will require a ventilator or a breathing machine? UCL Minds
What?
What are the new technological innovations needed to reduced transport's environmental impacts, including decarbonisation, adaptation, air quality, and biodiversity? GOV.UK
Imagine what a positive message one of Europe's most important public transport operators could send if it also targeted neurodiverse individuals to help with solving Vision Zero, carbon reduction, air quality, customer experience and operational efficiency? Intelligent Transport
What are the top cities near Niagara Falls with open Air Quality Scientist jobs? Glassdoor
When?
How can we integrate wildly different facility data for wastewater pumps, HVAC air quality and elevator destination dispatch systems into a unified digital twin when we still struggle to share basic drawing information between the two largest CAD vendors in the AEC space? Informed Infrastructure
Will?
Will the Canada wildfire smoke affect air quality in Europe? Euronews.com
While Stacklights have worked well for big equipment like a pick-n-place machine that deposits small electronic components on printed circuit boards (PCBs), will it work well (and is it affordable) for smaller semi-automatic machines such as 3D printers, small robots or even a medical ventilator? IHS Engineering 360
Will all the used ICEs that are replaced by EVs end up in poorer neighborhoods adding to their congestion and subtracting from their air quality even as smaller IRA grants (e.g., the Neighborhood Access and Equity Grants) are used to build bike lanes? Shared-Use Mobility Center
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