Clean Air Action: Applications of Citizen Science to Identify and Address Air Pollution Emission Sources

Abstract

Growing awareness of the health and environmental burden of air pollution combined with access to new low cost air pollution monitors has helped drive the explosion of citizen science initiatives. Despite this momentum, there remains little public attention to the sources or drivers of air pollution. Without greater emphasis on source awareness, scientists or community members using citizen science techniques cannot effectively identify or target interventions that cut emissions or build pressure for policies that hold specific polluters accountable to legal pollutant limits or best practices. To help understand how citizen science initiatives reflect or focus on sources of air pollution, this paper presents reflections from a purposive literature review of 33 case studies. Specifically it provides insights and a typology of citizen science initiatives that characterize how citizen science initiatives impact air pollution sources and provides recommendations for future approaches that could strengthen participatory science focused on pollution sources.