PRESS RELEASE: Less than 1/3 of governments provide fully transparent air quality data in support of better health
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington, DC | December 12, 2024
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Chris Hagerbaumer: chris@openaq.org
LESS THAN ONE-THIRD OF NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS PROVIDE FULLY TRANSPARENT AIR POLLUTION DATA — THE LARGEST ENVIRONMENTAL RISK TO HEALTH GLOBALLY
New report offers insights into the status and impacts of air quality monitoring and data transparency globally
Air pollution, largely driven by fossil fuel emissions, takes a tremendous toll on human health. In fact, 8+ million early deaths are attributable to air pollution each year, making it the largest environmental risk to health globally.1 The impact of air quality on global life expectancy is comparable to that of smoking, more than 4 times that of high alcohol use, more than 5 times that of transport injuries like car crashes, and more than 6 times that of HIV/AIDS.2
We believe joint action by public, private and civil society stakeholders can successfully address this global public health risk and create a world with clean air for all. Specifically, added attention is urgently needed around tackling air pollution sources, boosting awareness, and monitoring and providing open access to air quality data.
This latter pillar — fully transparent air quality monitoring data — is a key, often overlooked, foundational component of clean air action. Data on what pollutants are in the air at what concentrations inform scientific studies, help pinpoint sources and locations of pollution, are used to tell scientifically accurate and compelling stories, ensure accurate forecasts to inform communities of dangerous conditions, and are the evidence needed for policy development and enforcement.
Unfortunately, less than one-third of countries supply this essential air quality data in a fully transparent way, as reported in OpenAQ’s newest biennial assessment Open Air Quality Data: The Global Landscape 2024. And, alarmingly, more than one-third of countries do not even have an air quality monitoring program, meaning that nearly 1 billion people are living where their government does not monitor for one of the greatest risks to their health.
OpenAQ, the largest free open-source air quality data platform, researched which governments have air quality monitoring programs and whether and to what extent the data they generate is open to the public. The assessment groups countries into four categories:
“In order to deliver clean air for all, governments need to not only track air quality, but also offer an accessible, quality data set,” said co-author Dr. Colleen Rosales, OpenAQ’s Strategic Partnership Director. “Billions of people do not know what they are breathing and could benefit from greater data transparency.”
The report also highlights 30 countries that have stepped up since 2022 and displayed leadership by either beginning to monitor or improving air quality data transparency. We applaud the countries that are now newly fully transparent in this cycle: Cabo Verde, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Netherlands, Peru, South Africa, and Uganda. In the quest for clean air for all, we appeal to all governments to offer data-transparent air quality monitoring versus only the 27% that do so today.
“OpenAQ is here to support governments in applying best practices for opening up their air quality data so that they do not have to solve the problem of air pollution in isolation,” said co-author Chris Hagerbaumer, OpenAQ Executive Director. “Open data spurs collaboration, inviting civil society, academic and private sector actors to lend their expertise to solving the air pollution crisis.”
The report recommends far greater philanthropic support and international development aid in support of air pollution monitoring and data sharing, with conditions for data transparency in funding agreements.
Link to the report.
Sources
1 State of Global Air (SoGA) report from Health Effects Institute (HEI), June 2024
2 AQLI (Air Quality Life Index) Annual Update, August 2024
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ABOUT OPENAQ
OpenAQ is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide universal access to air quality data so that a global community of changemakers has access to data they need to solve air inequality–the unequal access to clean air. OpenAQ aggregates and harmonizes disparate air quality data from sources around the world, hosting the data on a first-of-its-kind free and open-source data platform. Researchers, community advocates, journalists, and other changemakers use this data to build the case for clean air and climate change action. For more information about OpenAQ, visit openaq.org.
