US ends air quality data from messages - loss of global health
US ends air quality data from messages - loss of global health
The US government will no longer share air quality data by its messages and consulates, which takes care of local scientists and experts who see this measure an important basis for monitoring global air quality and to improve public health.
Stop the data transmission
In response to a request from the Associated Press , the Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday that the program for monitoring air quality will no longer be sent data on air pollution from messages and consulates to the Airnow app of the environmental protection authority and other platforms. This information made it possible for people in different countries and scientists worldwide to see and analyze air quality in cities around the world.
financial restrictions as the cause
The setting of the data transmission was "due to financial restrictions that the ministry forced to switch off the underlying network," said the explanation, which added that messages and consulates were instructed to continue to operate their measuring devices and the data transfer could be resumed in the future as soon as the financing is restored.
The budget cut, which was first reported by the New York Times , is one of many under President Donald Trump, whose government has become less and less prioritized.
effects on public health
The US air quality knives recorded dangerous fine dust particles, known as PM2.5, which penetrate deep into the lungs and can lead to respiratory diseases, heart problems and early death. The World Health Organization estimates that air pollution costs around 7 million people every year.
reactions of scientists
The report on the setting of data transmission produced immediate reactions from scientists who described the data as reliably and emphasized that they were of great importance for global air quality monitoring and stimulate governments to take measures for air pollution.
loss for research on air quality
Bhargav Krishna, an expert in air pollution at Sustainable Futures Collaborative in New Delhi, described the loss of data as a "big blow" for research on air quality. "They were part of a handful of sensors in many developing countries and served as a reference to understand what the air quality was," said Krishna. "They were also considered to be well -calibrated and impartial data source for checking local data if concerns about quality."
"It's a shame," said Alejandro Piracoca Mayorga, a freelance air quality consultant based in Bogotá, Colombia. The US messages and consulates in Lima, Peru, São Paulo and Bogotá had public air measurements. "It was a source for access to air quality information, regardless of local monitoring networks. They provided an additional source of information for comparison."
critical gaps in environmental protection
Khalid Khan, a converting expert and activist from Pakistan, agreed and said that the closure of the air quality monitoring would have "considerable consequences". Khan found that the measuring devices in Peschawar, Pakistan, one of the most dirty cities in the world, provided "decisively important real -time data", support the decision -makers, researchers and the public in their health care.
"Your loss means a critical gap in environmental surveillance and leaves residents without precise information about dangerous air conditions," says Khan. He emphasized that particularly endangered people in Pakistan and worldwide are exposed to a higher risk because they had the least access to other reliable data.
influence on developing countries
In Africa, the program provided air quality data for more than a dozen countries, including Senegal, Nigeria, Chad and Madagascar. Some of these countries are almost entirely dependent on the US surveillance systems.
The WHO air quality database will also be affected by the closure of the US program. Many poor countries do not pursue the air quality because the stations are too expensive and complex to wait, which means that they are completely dependent on the surveillance data of the US messages.
strengthening local efforts
In some regions, the US air quality knives have contributed to the fact that countries launched their own air quality research initiatives and raise awareness, said Krishna. In China, for example, the data of the US embassy in Beijing fought the official government reports and showed poorer pollution values than the authorities recognized. This led to improvements in air quality in China.
civil servants in the eastern province of Punjab in Pakistan, who has to fight with Smog, declared themselves satisfied with the shutdown of the US measuring equipment. The environmental secretary Raja Jahangir said that Punjab's authorities had their own devices and planned to buy 30 more.
Shweta Narayan, a campaign manager of the Global Climate and Health Alliance, explained that the closure of the measuring devices in India was a "big setback", but also an "important opportunity" for the Indian government to close the gaps. "By strengthening your own infrastructure to monitor air quality, ensuring data transparency and building trust in the reporting on air quality, India can set a benchmark for responsibility and environmental governance," says Narayan.
Kommentare (0)