AQAW2021 wraps up today, Day 5, with a trip around the world!
It’s a bit easier to think of our own ambient air when we talk about air quality issues. However, understanding better what the air is like in different parts of our globe may serve us in multiple ways.
First, knowing how to simply check air quality in other countries may be wise for travelers. Before you hop on a plane, knowing the AQI at your destination could help you plan properly. If you have asthma, you may want to rethink your travel plans based on that region’s typical air quality. Or for instance, if a wildfire is burning near your destination, you may want to know if there are smoke impacts. Checking the AQI or PurpleAir map could be your simple strategy.
Second, air quality issues in other parts of the world can help us understand how to prevent or reduce issues in our neighborhoods. Emissions laws, restrictions on burning and regulation of sources can be different in various states and countries. How those places protect their air quality — or struggle to reduce its threats — may be indicators in how we behave in our everyday lives.
To that end, federal agencies are engaged in a variety of efforts to better understand the impact of air pollution sources abroad. They want to know how they impact health and environment quality here. Further, they aim to enable mitigation of the sources in those outside places.
Visit AirNow’s AQAW2021 May 7 page for more on global air quality.