data: A few years ago, I volunteered to serve as an “air quality researcher” of the State Department and was assigned to a position in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Since then, I have gained more and more understanding of the air pollution problem in southern parts of the world (especially Africa), and I have been more involved in research in other parts of Africa. Before that, I also went to India for research and witnessed the effects of extreme air pollution. These experiences have made me more inclined to the research agenda, which aims to improve people’s health and well-being through cleaner air.
Q: What problem do you want to solve? Why is it so important?
VFM and DW: Air pollution is a global public health crisis, causing at least 6.7 million premature deaths every year. We are working hard to improve the air quality and health of the cities in Africa, India and Indonesia we work with. Clean air is a basic right. Our goal is to translate our cutting-edge air pollution research into ground impacts on the places where people are most affected.
Q: What background do you and your team have, and what influence do they have on your project work?
VFM and DW: Our team includes researchers from Columbia Engineering, Lamont-Dougherty Earth Observatory, School of International and Public Affairs, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia Law School, Data Science Institute, and Earth Institute.
data: I lead a research team on climate change and air pollution measurement and modeling, focusing on at least seven major cities in sub-Saharan Africa. Since getting my PhD at Carnegie Mellon University, I have more than 13 years of experience in climate and air quality research. Recently, with funding from the National Science Foundation, my team and I launched a global international project called “Clean Air Monitoring and Solutions Network” (CAMS-Net, www.camsnet.org). The main goal of the project is to obtain useful and actionable data from so-called low-cost air quality sensors and calibrate the sensors using data science methods. I have a broad background in multiple sub-fields of climate and air quality, including modeling, measurement, and remote sensing, which brings a wealth of research possibilities to the CAToolbox team.
VFW: I have more than 20 years of experience in atmospheric chemistry and aerosol research. My research team conducts experiments and modeling studies to understand the mechanical connection between human activities and air quality. Integrating theory with practice is a core principle in the field of atmospheric chemistry, and I have been inspired by my late PhD. consultant, Dr. Mario Molina, He is a pioneer in uniting science, policy, and stakeholders to solve the global southern air quality problem. As the lead researcher of the Clean Air Toolkit, I am leading the team’s field investigation in India and our cooperation in Jakarta.
Q: How does your project adapt to COVID?
VFM and DW: COVID is difficult for everyone and prevents us from going to work on the ground. Fortunately, we established strong connections with local partners before the pandemic, who were able to take charge of data collection in our absence. We have also found that the global shift to conference calls during the pandemic has increased the accessibility of meetings and capacity building activities. COVID also provides a unique opportunity to study the impact of lockdown-related emissions reductions on air pollution in many cities in the south of the world.
Q: How do local communities in Africa, India and Indonesia participate in the Clean Air Toolbox project?
VFM and DW: The local community is at the core of our efforts in all locations. Our goals include co-production of air quality data and solutions with local scientists, and exchange of knowledge between local experts and the Colombian team. Many of our projects are designed to be locally owned and operated. As far as training programs are concerned, our goal is to gradually recruit experts from the global south as educators and lecturers so that these programs can continue beyond our project life cycle.
Q: What have you found so far? What is the next step for this project?
data: We are promoting the application of low-cost sensors to accurately and high-resolution characterize air pollution in sub-Saharan Africa and Kolkata and surrounding areas in India.My team recently released Our first peer-reviewed journal article, Showing the first environmental air pollution measurement of two megacities in Africa, Kinshasa and Brazzaville, with a total population of more than 17 million. We found that the recent air quality level is approximately 4 to 5 times higher than the health guidelines established by the World Health Organization (depending on the season).
VFM and DW: Our colleague is from Ama Francis of the Sabine Center for Climate Law Completed the legal and policy analysis of Kolkata, India, Provide Kolkata Municipal Corporation with legal leverage advice on clean air policies. As part of the Clean Air Catalyst Project funded by the United States Agency for International Development, we also provide expert air quality science, public health, policy advice and research design insights to global and local partners in Indore, India and Jakarta, Indonesia.
As the world begins to reopen face-to-face activities, we have resumed field work, and we have a busy planning agenda before us in the next few months. We will continue to collect data, create outstanding scientific research with partners in the Global South, and raise funds to expand our projects to more locations and engage in deeper participation in the next few years.
This article was originally published in Columbia News, As part of the Take Action series, showcased the efforts of various universities to respond to real-world challenges in a purposeful way relying on academic knowledge.
