Cities are uniquely positioned to address the pollution that is warming our planet and polluting our air. Cities hold many of the policy levers needed to facilitate a fair and rapid transition to clean, low-carbon, people-friendly infrastructure that improves their residents’ health, quality of life, and economic opportunities.
C40 Cities was founded in 2005 to engage and support cities in this critical work. Launched by a steering committee of mayors of 18 megacities, C40 is now a global network of nearly 100 mayors united in action to confront the climate crisis.
C40 has understood the integral connection between air quality and climate change from the beginning. The organization provides technical support to member cities to implement high-impact air quality measures, and anyone can access their many air quality-related resources through the C40 Knowledge Hub.
OpenAQ spoke with Toby Coombes, Project Manager for Air Quality Policy and Analysis at C40, to get his perspective on the role data plays in tackling air and climate pollution and to learn how C40 uses data on the OpenAQ platform. When Toby first started at C40, he worked with the modeling team to add an air pollution model to their GHG model. Then, from there, the team used the Global Burden of Disease model to understand how these air pollution reductions translate into positive health impacts. Toby continues to build and operate models that allow cities to measure the greenhouse gas, air quality, and health impacts of climate action and related initiatives.
Toby noted that data is critical for communications. C40 helps cities make the case for climate and clean air action. For example, Breathe London has been expanded to a much larger Breathe Cities effort because it was so successful in helping Londoners understand the impacts of air pollution and how certain parts of the city suffer the most. C40 was involved with Breathe London’s work to set up hundreds of air pollution monitors in the city. Once the data was collected and made publicly available, C40 and air pollution advocacy groups have been able to use the data to communicate the impacts of pollution on public health and to advocate for solutions. Toby said, “You can see your river and lake become green and polluted, but you only see air pollution when it’s really, really bad. Gathering and communicating air quality data allows the public to understand a health threat that is typically invisible.”
Toby also highlighted the role data plays in policy. Data shapes what actions to take to reduce pollution and where to focus them. And it allows cities to measure the effectiveness of these actions. In fact, C40 uses data on the OpenAQ Platform to estimate citywide PM2.5 annual averages in order to compare air pollution levels before and after an action has been implemented and to measure progress over time.
C40 also uses data on OpenAQ to double check the number of monitors within cities after the cities self-report.
Toby appreciates OpenAQ for standardizing the data into the same format and making it searchable by city and country. It makes his work much easier. He also appreciates that the OpenAQ Platform is open-source and the data is universally accessible. Toby said, “Open and available data is so impactful for people’s direct life and health. It’s good for the world.” And he noted that the way OpenAQ shows where monitoring sites are located on a map improves access for people who are not tech experts.
Working with C40 gives Toby hope. At a municipal level, one can envision what a sustainable future could look like, and components of that vision are already being realized around the world. “I was recently in Amsterdam,” said Toby. “It’s such a nice place to be. Not just because it’s a great place for cycling, but because it’s quieter and kids can play on the streets more easily. People recognize the benefits of active travel.” Toby noted that people are often reflexively opposed to change, like Londoners pushing back against the Ultra Low Emission Zone, but once they experience the benefits, they don’t want to go back.
Toby is excited about the gathering momentum for addressing air pollution. So many cities are now installing air monitors, including in the Global South where there has been a dearth of data. He’s proud of being part of C40, which leverages this momentum to ensure cities are leaders in facing and overcoming the challenge of climate change.
Visit C40 Cities Air Quality to learn more about the organization’s air quality work.
