Air Quality Monitoring in Coal-Centric Cities: An Hybrid Approach

Abstract

Despite the increasing time-sensitivity of climate change, many cities and towns across the world still heavily rely on coal. The extraction, processing, and usage of coal for energy production lead to deteriorated air quality, resulting in complex environmental and public health problems for the local communities. This study examines the multifaceted air quality issues surrounding coal-dependent cities using a combination of qualitative and quantitative data from reference-grade air quality monitors, low-cost sensors deployed on community member vehicles; and citizen engagement activities. We tested our approach in Sparwood, Canada and Oskemen, Kazakhstan, which are very different cities but are both heavily dependent on coal. In these two cities, we deployed sensors to detect air quality trends at the regional levels, pollution hotspots at the neighborhood level; and we used this information to drive citizen engagement workshops and educational activities with college students. This approach allows us to explore the multifaceted nature of issues surrounding a location’s relationship to coal, from an environmental, social, economical, and public health perspective. Understanding air quality in coal-dependent cities as a complex socio-technical phenomenon can enable the coal industry, city officials, and residents to engage in addressing air quality issues in a comprehensive manner.

Keywords: mobile sensing, air quality, citizen engagement, coal-centric