In line with the European approach to reducing climate change and pollution, The authorities of the Italian city of Milan have launched an ambitious project to collect data on air quality and raise citizens’ awareness of its importance. Protect children’s health from the negative effects of air pollution.

Air pollution is at the forefront of health challenges faced by governments around the world. 90% of cities have exceeded WHO maximum air pollution rates. Resolving this issue requires long-term plans aimed primarily at educating citizens. As well as their awareness of the negative effects that breathing polluted air has on their lives and the safety of their children, These effects vary in severity from one city to another depending on multiple factors.

In Milan, Italy’s second most populous city, A phenomenon known as “air stagnation” has formed, As a result of the location of the city and geographical factors, as it is surrounded by mountains, which makes the rates of wind gusts in it low, This phenomenon leads to the air masses remaining camped over the area for a long time, with its different particles, This leads to a high concentration of pollutants emitted by heating systems and car exhaust. Hence, The share of Milanese population in deaths and illnesses caused by pollution was among the ten largest shares in EU cities. These diseases usually appear more in children, This is because their bodies are still developing, with its respiratory and immune systems, This means that air pollution hinders the development of lung function and causes asthma, cough, bronchial and respiratory infections. Moreover, Several studies have indicated that vehicle traffic rates in an area are associated with an increase in respiratory and allergic infections among its residents. She confirmed the high probability of this risk in urban areas. All this makes improving air quality a key goal for city authorities.

In support of the EU’s ambition to eradicate pollution, One of the objectives included in the European Green Agreement, The Milan City Government has a new partnership to gain a deeper understanding of and improve air quality with the Bloomberg Philanthropies, which is making international efforts to leverage data and empower local leaders to address the interrelated challenges of tackling climate change and protecting public health. She has co-designed and led important air pollution reduction projects in London, Paris, Mumbai and other cities around the world. The partnership came through the Agency for Environment and Mobility and the City Administration, It is a consulting company wholly owned by the Government of Milan, It provides strategic planning and technical studies to raise air quality, the environment and urban mobility.

Having taken a series of measures to meet this challenge, The new initiative is geared towards investing in air quality monitoring in the streets around Milan schools, As well as mobilizing student and community support and employing the efforts of the public in reducing air pollution.

In its experimental phase, The initiative will leverage data by developing a network to monitor air quality locally. In addition to distributing sensors that will measure air pollution levels after being installed in 50 schools in 10 priority areas over a period of two years, The Department will also deploy several portable and closely referenced monitoring stations to monitor various factors that serve the planning of air quality measures.

Milan’s transport management agency will develop highly accurate local data on air quality, A digital platform will be dedicated to providing city authorities with information that will serve planning purposes. Meanwhile, This information will be shared with school administrations and students’ families, before spreading it on a wider community scale to increase citizens’ awareness of air pollution.

In addition Local authorities have launched a plan targeting air quality and climate, imposing restrictive measures on polluting vehicles and directing residents to switch from cars to active mobility by walking or cycling, It also strengthens oversight and commits to establishing a net-zero emission zone in the city centre by 2030, As well as the C40 agreement to declare streets free of fossil fuels. The city’s economic development strategy has undergone an update, A green public space was created and people moved to the city facilitated.

Within the initiative, The Italian Climate Network plans to launch an educational campaign that will tour Milan schools, This is to leverage local data on air quality and other community resources to give students and their families a better understanding of the sources, causes and effects of pollution.

Considering that the initiative is still in its infancy, The challenges you may encounter will be monitored, As well as the extent to which they achieve the desired effects. In the first place, These efforts aim to collect highly accurate data on air quality with a view to improving it, It will also put the city of Milan at the beginning of the right path towards developing a healthy environment, clean air and better living for the residents. As part of an experiment that the authorities aspire to disseminate and disseminate in other cities.

References:

• https://www.bloomberg.org/press/bloomberg-philanthropies-launches-partnership-with-city-of-milan-to-monitor-air-pollution-and-promote-clean-air-in-schools/
• https://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/74728/E86575.pdf
• https://www.reuters.com/article/us-italy-pollution-idUSKBN1Z7285