The United States is a world leader in air quality monitoring and management science, technology, and policy. This expertise is the result of a decades-long fight to reduce air pollution with monitoring and mitigation programs reinforced by government policy. The U.S.’s Clean Air Act which became law in 1971 is credited with reducing air pollution by > 70% even as the country increased in population, car ownership, and other metrics normally associated with increased air pollution. This sustained cleanup of America’s air has saved countless lives, promoted health, reversed environmental degradation trends, and saved billions of dollars. In fiscal terms, the costs to benefits ratio of the Clean Air Act spanning 1990 to 2020 are estimated at more than 1 to 30 (US EPA, Benefits and Costs of the Clean Air Act 1990-2020, the Second Prospective Study).
The overarching goal of this project is to build on the U.S. embassy and consulate air-quality monitoring sites in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Kolkata, India to increase local air-quality monitoring capacity (with funding from the U.S. Department of State). The project is being conducted in partnership with the U.S Embassy in Bangladesh (Dhaka) and the U.S. Consulate General Kolkata and primary academic collaborations with the University of Dhaka and Bose Institute Kolkata. In 2021 the project will deploy a network of fifteen moderate-cost air-quality monitors in both Dhaka and Kolkata. The embassy and consulate air-quality monitoring data will be used to validate and harmonize the sensor network. The data will be made publicly available and used to investigate spatial variability and sources in the cities. The project will also include a range of programs to help build local capacity for air quality monitoring and air quality data analysis to support efforts to reduce air pollution.