Air Quality in Ohio
What does air quality have to do with conserving energy? Well, the amount of energy that we use, has an impact on the quality of air that we breathe. Poor air quality is linked to 4.2 million deaths per year (WHO citation), worldwide. This also has impacts on our natural world causing a loss of biodiversity (UNECE Citation).
Let’s break down the way you can contribute to scientific knowledge of our air quality through the Earth Challenge 2020 (EC2020) phone application.
In Franklin County, there are 10 PM 2.5 air quality devices (map from EC2020). These devices measure the air quality precisely. The part where we come in is by taking photographs of the sky’s horizon - that’s it! By doing this, scientists are creating algorithms in order to pair up the air quality data they’ve recorded on the devices with the photos we have submitted. Hopefully in the future creating ways to visually asses the air quality data - making it easier to assess air quality.
MORPC (Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission) has created alerts for Columbus residents. They state that the majority of days, we have very high air quality thanks to innovative ways to reduce emissions, however, there are times where the air quality could be dangerous. Make sure you sign up for alerts and get notified when air qualities are in the red. Below is a video from MORPC talking about ways in which we can make a difference and ensure that the air quality is good for all. What are you going to do to help improve air quality?
