KENYA – The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has updated its digital platform to provide real-time data on age groups most exposed to poor air quality in a bid to reduce the long-term effects associated with air pollution.

The digital platform utilizes real-time crowd sourced data from public governmental sources, citizens and researchers and artificial intelligence and satellite data to deliver easy to understand estimates of localized air quality of the past 24 hours, highlights UNEP.

UNEP’s updated platform will deliver easy to understand estimates of localized air quality of the past 24 hours including air quality forecast, wind, temperature, humidity and barometric pressure readings as well as hourly exposure to unhealthy air based on the new World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.

UNEP, in collaboration with Swiss technology company IQAir, has made significant updates to the world’s largest air quality data platform following the recent United Nations (UN) General Assembly resolution on the right to a clean, healthy, sustainable environment.

Since UNEP and IQAir began their collaboration in 2020, the number of air quality monitors added to the platform has more than doubled from less than 10,000 in 2020 to over 25,000 stations in 2022. This increase in measurement also improves the quality of estimates the system produces.

The organization has updated its data platform to identify which national population age groups are most affected by air pollution throughout the day and the update reveals the dynamic nature of air pollution while drawing attention to which age groups are exposed to bad air at any given hour.

The UN agency further said that the digital platform recomputes estimates every hour for instance, in South Africa, young adults aged from 20 to 39 are most exposed to air pollution while in China, older adults between the ages of 40-59 are most exposed.

Executive Director of UNEP Inger Andersen said the new update to the world’s largest air quality data platform will take the agency closer to identifying which segments of society are particularly vulnerable and can therefore help refine strategies and policies to protect people from the growing threat of air pollution.

“The UN General Assembly resolution reaffirms the human right to a clean, healthy, sustainable environment. This means our environmental monitoring and information systems must move with ever greater precision,” reiterated Inger Andersen.

He stressed that the imperative to act is urgent while noting that technology and international cooperation can help accelerate efforts to reduce air pollution especially for those most exposed to poor air quality.

Furthermore, UNEP and IQAir are actively encouraging data sharing from Governmental and non-governmental contributors particularly increased international cooperation at the global, regional and country levels as air pollution continues to be one of the most serious threats to human health.

IQAir CEO Frank Hammes said, “Our hope is to make the extent of global air pollution exposure tangible, engaging and inspiring people around the world to take action and to support projects that help clean the air in their communities.”

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