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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/nov/14/hobart-darwin-and-canberra-ranked-among-top-10-global-cities-with-lowest-air-pollution>
"Three Australian cities are among the top 10 global cities with the lowest
levels of air pollution, according to analysis of nearly 400 cities worldwide.
Hobart (third), Darwin (fourth) and Canberra (10th) topped the list, based on
air pollution data analysed by Auto Trader, an online vehicle trading site.
However Prof Fay Johnston, a public health physician and environmental
epidemiologist who leads the Centre for Safe Air, said the approach was flawed
and the findings conflicted with measurements by local environmental
authorities. Darwin, where smoke from savanna fires was a major source of air
pollution, was a “case in point”, she said.
“The EPA have monitored air quality in Darwin for 20 years, as environmental
agencies do all around the country,” Johnston said. “Consistently over that
time, Darwin has had the worst air quality in Australia.”
From Funafuti in Tuvalu (first) to Shanghai in China (393rd), Auto Trader
ranked cities based on an “air quality index” score, reflecting concentrations
of hazardous air particles, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, and
nitrogen dioxide, collected from Open Weather Map data at twice a year over a
three-year period.
Sydney (150th) was the worst-ranked Australian city, recording a poorer air
pollution score than London (90th), which Johnston said was also incorrect.
“Sydney has never been worse than London, on empirical data,” she said, adding
that local measurements over time analysed by experts in the field provided
more meaningful results than “a global model that got interpreted by car
salesmen”.
Clare Walter, a public health and air pollution researcher based at the
University of Melbourne, warned against complacency.
“Air pollution impacts our health, at any level,” she said. Asthma, lung
cancer, respiratory infections, diabetes, stroke and heart disease had all been
linked to the problem.
“Air pollution gets into our blood stream. It causes systemic inflammation.
When your body is under stress, in an inflamed state, it can lead to a very
wide range of health impacts.”
Vehicle emissions were the main source of chronic air pollution in Australian
cities, she said. Wood heaters also make a substantial contribution in some
cities, particularly during winter."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
