Measuring Air Quality To Manage Canada's Investment In Sustainability

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Canada has embarked upon a dramatic transformation to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. Decarbonisation is a critical science and technology challenge and the path we follow to reduce and replace fossil fuels will play a pivotal role in reshaping Canada's economy. The transformation to net-zero provides an incredible opportunity for Canada to "build back better" by investing in decarbonisation that also improves air quality and mitigates environmental inequity. We can't manage what we can't measure. The net-zero transformation must be monitored and evaluated in near real-time so that the new knowledge can guide change and support continuous improvement. Sadly, existing measurement infrastructure is fragmented, air pollutants and greenhouse gas are usually measured separately, and there is too little capacity to measure the local changes in communities. This project will evaluate applications of low-cost sensor-based devices that measure both air-quality and greenhouse gases, to identify potential advantages of integrating them into Canada's measurement infrastructure. The performance of the Canadian AirSENCE technology will be improved through in-lab research and evaluated through applications within communities. The synergies achievable by fusing data from low-cost monitors with data from space-based, mobile and government measurement infrastructure will also be evaluated. This project will accelerate the translation of Canada's world-class research on air quality and GHG monitoring into economic growth, address challenges reveled by the COVID-19 pandemic, and inform policy that will have an impact on Canada's investment in decarbonisation. It will provide economic returns by developing new models of AirSENCE and by demonstrating new applications to increase market share. The project will also produce practical guidance on how to integrate low-cost monitors into air quality measurement infrastructure. More generally the project will provide new knowledge needed to guide Canada's economic recovery and investments in sustainability.