Solutions to air pollution

How to improve air quality?

Air pollution is one of the biggest threats for the environment and affects everyone: humans, animals, crops, cities, forests, aquatic ecosystems... What causes air pollution? What are the effects? And most importantly, what are the possible solutions to tackle it?

01. Definition

What is air pollution?

Air pollution can be defined as an alteration of air quality that can be characterized by measurements of chemical, biological or physical pollutants in the air. Therefore, air pollution means the undesirable presence of impurities or the abnormal rise in the proportion of some constituents of the atmosphere. It can be classified in 2 sections: visible and invisibleair pollution.

  • Local: this concerns the quality of ambient air within a radius of a few kilometers
  • Regional: pollution like acid rain, photochemical reactions and degradation of water quality at distances of a few kilometers to a thousand kilometers
  • Global: depletion of the ozone layer and global warming caused by the emission of greenhouse gases, mainly carbon dioxide (CO2)

02. Causes

Air pollution causes

Air pollution is caused by the presence in the atmosphere of toxic substances, mainly produced by human activities, even though sometimes it can result from natural phenomena such as volcanic eruptions, dust storms and wildfires, also depleting the air quality.

Anthropogenic air pollution sources are:

  1. Combustion of fossil fuels, like coal and oil for electricity and road transport, producing air pollutants like nitrogen and sulfur dioxide
  2. Emissions from industries and factories, releasing large amount of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbon, chemicals and organic compounds into the air
  3. Agricultural activities, due to the use of pesticides, insecticides, and fertilizers that emit harmful chemicals
  4. Waste production, mostly because of methane generation in landfills

03. Impacts

Air pollution Impacts

It is impossible to describe the whole extent of potential and actual damage caused by all forms of air pollution. But here are the main consequences:

  • On the environment: air pollution has a major impact on the process of plant evolution by preventing photosynthesis in many cases, with serious consequences for the purification of the air we breathe. It also contributes to the formation of acid rain, atmospheric precipitations in the form of rain, frost, snow or fog, which are released during the combustion of fossil fuels and transformed by contact with water steam in the atmosphere.
  • Global warming: on top of that, air pollution is a major contributor to global warming and climate change. In fact, the abundance of carbon dioxide in the air is one of the causes of the greenhouse effect. Normally, the presence of greenhouse gases should be beneficial for the planet because they absorb the infra-red radiation produced by the surface of the earth. But the excessive concentration of these gases in the atmosphere is the cause of the recent climate change
  • On human health: Our continual exposure to air pollutants is responsible for the deterioration of human health. Air pollution is indeed a significant risk factor for human health conditions, causing allergies, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases as well as lung damage

05. Implementations

Air pollution solutions implementations

Sympheny by Urban Sympheny AG implemented by IBC Energie Wasser Chur in Dübendorf (Switzerland) in 2020

AtmoTrack by Atmotrack implemented by Urban Community of Yaoundé in Yaoundé (Cameroon) in 2020

Urban Radar by Urban Radar implemented by City of Versailles in Versailles (France) in 2020

Cocoparks by Cocoparks implemented by City of Sens in Sens (France) in 2021

VUF Bikes by VUF Bikes implemented by Oleorecycling in Toulouse (France) in 2018

Lightyear One – Solar electric car by Lightyear implemented by BNP Paribas in Paris (France) in 2023

Lanzatech Carbon Recycling by LanzaTech implemented by H&M Move in Skokie (United States) in 2023

Lanzatech Carbon Recycling by LanzaTech implemented by ArcelorMittal in Ghent (Belgium) in 2023

Lanzatech Carbon Recycling by LanzaTech implemented by Givaudan in Geneva (Switzerland) in 2022

Lanzatech Carbon Recycling by LanzaTech implemented by Lululemon in Vancouver (Canada) in 2024

Fill4Life by Fluitec implemented by SRP (Mesquite) - Arizona electric power and water utility company in Arlington (United States) in 2012

RetroKit Energy Upscaling Technology by RetroKit Ltd implemented by Cork City Council in Cork (Ireland) in 2020

Behavioural Insights platform by Advizzo (Part of Calisen group) implemented by Severn Trent Water in Coventry (United Kingdom) in 2023

WAGABOX® by Waga Energy implemented by Veolia in Claye-Souilly (France) in 2022

WAGABOX® by Waga Energy implemented by Air Liquide in Rockford (United States) in 2023

WAGABOX® by Waga Energy implemented by SUEZ in Milhac-d'Auberoche (France) in 2022

06. Conclusion

Air pollution prevention

There are ways to prevent, control and eventually reduce air pollution:

  1. Renewable fuel and clean energy production: the most basic solution for air pollution is to move away from fossil fuels, replacing them with alternative energies like solar, wind and geothermal.
  2. Energy conservation and efficiency: producing clean energy is crucial. But equally important is to reduce our consumption of energy by adopting responsible habits and using more efficient devices.
  3. Eco-friendly transportation: shifting to electric vehicles and hydrogen vehicles, and promoting shared mobility (i.e carpooling, and public transports) could reduce air pollution.
  4. Green building: from planning to demolition, green building aims to create environmentally responsible and resource-efficient structures to reduce their carbon footprint

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pauline.michiels@solarimpulse.com