The U.S. State Department’s recent directive to halt the public sharing of air quality data from embassy monitors worldwide is a step in the wrong direction–one that endangers public health, weakens diplomacy, undermines cost-effective environmental progress, and hurts businesses. For over a decade, these monitors have provided critical open data to U.S. citizens abroad, global researchers, and local communities–improving air quality awareness and policy decisions across the globe. Ending this data transparency is a mistake that must be reconsidered.
The Situation
Since 2008, the U.S. has installed a number of air quality monitors on its embassies and consulates in regions that tend to suffer the worst air pollution, totaling 70 operating locations at the beginning of 2025. [1] These “reference monitors” (the gold standard for measuring pollution, run and maintained with strict regulatory protocols) have offered publicly available real-time data on dangerous pollution levels. This program is a cost-effective way to support health and economic wellbeing.
As first reported in the New York Times, the U.S. State Department stated that due to “funding constraints” it will no longer share data via its two data-sharing mechanisms, AirNow and ZephAir. [2]
Based on research conducted by OpenAQ in 2024, nearly 90 countries either do not monitor air quality (71) or do not publicly share the data they generate (18). Monitoring by the U.S. State Department has helped fill the gap. In 17 countries, an embassy monitor has been the only open source of government-sponsored reference-grade air quality data.
A Vital Public Health Tool
This initiative has saved lives and empowered individuals to limit their exposure to harmful air pollutants. Public access to air quality data has helped:
- Protect U.S. diplomats, travelers, and residents abroad. For example, U.S. foreign service officers have relied on real-time information to decide whether it is safe for their children to play outside.
- Enable host country residents to make informed decisions. Sharing the data openly has supported everyone in the vicinity. U.S. embassy monitors have often been the only and/or most reliable and openly available source of air quality data available to the public.
- Support global research and policy improvements. Open air quality data supports the research, communications, and decision-making needed to advance air pollution solutions. Studies show that access to air quality data has led to measurable pollution reductions. A famous example is China, where the availability of U.S. embassy data was influential in China’s decision to dramatically improve air quality.
Economic and Environmental Benefits
Halting public access to embassy air quality data will have significant financial and environmental costs. Research published in 2022 in PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) estimates that pollution reductions linked to this program have prevented up to 895 premature deaths per city annually, generating up to $465 million in medical cost savings. Furthermore, maintaining these monitors requires only tens of thousands of dollars annually — an expense dwarfed by the economic and health benefits they provide.
Additionally, because these are high quality reference monitors, they serve as calibration tools for lower-cost air sensors —relatively new instrumentation that fills in gaps in air quality monitoring. The calibration performed by air sensor companies and their customers/clients ensures that these air sensors produce the most reliable measurements to help combat pollution on a broader scale. Because the monitors on embassies are strategically located in places with some of the worst pollution, they are an essential open dataset that facilitates research using emerging sensing technologies across different environments and pollution sources.
A Blow to Diplomacy and U.S. Leadership
The decision to restrict air quality data sharing sends a troubling signal about U.S. global leadership. By providing these data, the U.S. has demonstrated a commitment to environmental transparency and public health, fostering goodwill with host nations. Removing access undermines these relationships and diminishes the U.S. in the eyes of countries who are keen to protect their citizens’ health.
Penny Wise, Pound Foolish
The State Department cites budget constraints as the reason to stop sharing data, yet the ongoing costs of these monitors are minimal compared to their vast benefits. The monitors themselves are already in place. Refusing to share data is not logical–it strips away the very benefits the system was designed to provide.
A Call to Action
The U.S. must not abandon this essential program. Instead, the State Department should allocate the modest funding needed to keep data flowing. Transparency in air quality monitoring is not just a diplomatic asset–it is a crucial safeguard for global public health and economic well-being. The costs of inaction will be far greater than the price of maintaining this life-saving initiative.
It’s time to restore public access to embassy air quality data and reaffirm the U.S. commitment to stewarding a cleaner, healthier world.
Footnotes
[1] Some locations, such as the monitor on the U.S. embassy in Afghanistan, are no longer operating.
[2] These data are archived and available on the OpenAQ platform for download.
