A citizen science project in Georgia is celebrating the milestone of reaching 100 air quality monitoring stations, spread across 11 cities.
The AirGE network was set up as an alternative to what is considered to be weak state environmental monitoring, with the Georgian Ministry of Environment operating only 15 professional air monitoring stations across the country.
The network was set up by the Tbilisi-based NGO Green Pole in partnership with Arnika, based in the Czech Republic.
The AirGE network builds on previous successful community air quality monitoring projects implemented by Arnika. The Belarusian AirMQ network includes 294 monitoring stations in 36 towns.
Ukrainian EcoCity includes over 350 stations in 23 of Ukraine’s 24 regions, making it one of the largest networks of its kind in Europe, moreover, functioning still during the war in regularly shelled areas, it serves as a system to warn the population of war threats and has become part of the state crisis information system.
The AirGE stations measure concentrations of PM2.5 and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), making the data freely accessible in an interactive online map.
Giorgi Japaridze, the founder of Green Pole said: ‘One hundred stations is something of a milestone, but the most important thing is that we are giving Georgian citizens a useful tool. People can not only monitor air quality in their cities, but also assess trends – and most importantly, think about solutions. Ensuring the right to information and empowering citizens to demand their right to live in a healthy environment is the leitmotif of the AirGE network.’
In certain regions of Georgia, outdated industries remain a major source of pollution. The situation is particularly severe in Rustavi, where air pollution is carried by the wind as far as Tbilisi. Another significant contributor to air pollution is heavy traffic, often made worse by old, high-emission vehicles — a problem especially evident in Tbilisi, Kutaisi, and other large cities.
Some of the air pollution monitoring stations are installed up on the balconies or in the gardens of volunteers who are willing to provide a constant power supply and stable Wi-Fi. Others are run by offices, cafes and schools. Even the Czech Embassy and the United Nations Development Programme office in the capital have installed the stations.
Martin Skalsky, expert on environmental democracy from Arnika said: ‘In the current political crisis, concern for the environment is taking a back seat, but health problems and dirty air affect people regardless of who is in power. Citizen science projects are helping people everywhere to get the right information to protect their health, understand the causes of pollution and demand effective solutions from politicians. The AirGE network is the first step on this journey.’
Citizen science stations for air monitoring started to boom around 2015 in response to inadequate state monitoring and thanks to the cheaper production of laser sensors, which now allow stations to be produced at minimal cost. It is estimated that there are now around 40-50,000 such stations installed worldwide.
photos: Green Pole