For our survival, health, and longevity, clean air is essential. The global decrease in air quality may be attributed to several factors, including the presence of heavy industry, lax government laws, rising personal car usage, and inadequate air quality management systems. Reduced vision and movement in the region, as well as long-term health problems, can be brought on by worse air quality.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that in 2022, the US alone contributed an astounding 66 million tonnes of pollutants to the atmosphere. However, within the previous several decades, the general quality of the air in the US has improved. Between 1980 and 2022, there was a 73% decrease in the primary air pollutant emissions. The primary cause of this drop has been the rules established by the federal and state governments.
An article in Nature on July 22nd noted that 7.3 billion people worldwide are exposed to dangerously high amounts of small particulate matter (PM2.5). Eighty percent of those affected by air pollution live in low-income or middle-income nations. People’s health is sometimes jeopardised in underdeveloped or emerging economies because of their reliance on polluting businesses. Some of the areas most affected by air pollution are Sub-Saharan Africa and cities like Lahore, Pakistan, and Dehli, India. Also worth looking at are the Top 30 Air Polluted Nations in the World.
In order to guarantee breathability, governments can take the lead. Governments everywhere are stepping up to improve the quality of the air via grants and laws. The Biden administration announced $2 billion in Community Change Grants to support lower-income neighbourhoods on November 22, according to a report by Reuters. The groups with lower incomes are disproportionately affected by poor air quality since they typically live in less expensive and damaged regions. Their resilience to address climate change challenges and keep an eye on the quality of the air and water will be strengthened by the funding. By November 2024, all of the allocated monies must have been used.
One of the cities with the worst air quality in the world is New Dehli. Since the Hindu holiday of Diwali, there has been an incredible quantity of haze and pollution in the city. According to a Reuters story from November 6, the city is going to limit car usage since visibility is getting worse. The “odd-even” vehicle rule, which would permit cars with even registration numbers on even days and odd ones on odd dates, is being planned by the government. This regulation had also been put into place previously, offering a short-term fix for a long-term issue.
Numerous businesses produce methods and technology aimed at enhancing, monitoring, and managing air quality. The industry of air quality control is expanding quickly. The air quality control systems market was estimated by Acumen Research and Consulting to be worth $101.0 billion in 2022. By 2032, the market is expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.7% to reach $157.5 billion. The industry is expanding as a result of stringent government emission control rules and growing concerns about air quality.
The market for air quality control is dominated by the Asia Pacific region. The market for ecologically friendly items has increased as a result of growing awareness of climate challenges. One of the markets for air quality control with the highest growth is North America. The need for technology and systems to monitor emissions and air quality has surged as a result of the government’s rigorous rules.
Large outdoor industrial units are no longer the only places where air quality control systems are used. Innovations in technology are leading to smaller systems. These smaller, more user-friendly devices are also less expensive. As a result, there is an increasing need for indoor air quality management systems.
The Amazon Smart Air Quality Monitor, manufactured by Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), is a well renowned tool for indoor air quality monitoring. Users may track the amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particulate matter (PM2.5), and carbon monoxide in the air with the Amazon Smart Air Quality Monitor. Alexa may also be linked to the gadget. Real-time data is provided by the gadget, enabling users to make necessary adjustments.
Building technology and equipment is supplied by Johnson Controls International PLC (NYSE:JCI). The firm also sells a range of devices and systems for controlling air quality. Users may manage healthy indoor air quality (IAQ) using Johnson Controls International PLC’s (NYSE:JCI) OpenBlue Indoor Air Quality as a Service. The service uses the most recent OpenBlue technology and is also reasonably priced.
Johnson Controls International PLC (NYSE:JCI) declared on October 2 that it and the Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC) had inked a memorandum of agreement. By incorporating the IAQ services provided by the corporation, the MoU will enable schools in the United Arab Emirates to enhance their facilities. EmiratesGBC and the business will collaborate to further IAQ assessment research and development.
One such significant participant in the market is Fuel Tech Inc. (NASDAQ:FTEK). The firm is well known for its goods, which include NOx control systems that may aid in an 80% to 30% reduction in emissions. Fuel Tech Inc. on November 6.
(NASDAQ:FTEK) stated that it has signed several air pollution control (APC) contracts for around $2.6 million with both new and existing clients. These clients in the US and South Africa will get the Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) and Selective Non-Catalytic Reduction (SNCR) systems from Fuel Tech Inc. (NASDAQ:FTEK). Numerous end markets are expected to gain from these arrangements.
Within the air quality control business, CECO Environmental Corp. (NASDAQ:CECO) is another industry titan. More than 32,000 air pollution control systems have been deployed by the firm. All together, these technologies remove almost 4.4 billion pounds of pollutants every year. CECO Environmental Corp. (NASDAQ:CECO) released its third-quarter fiscal 2023 financial report on November 7. Environmental CECO Corp.
(NASDAQ:CECO) revealed an EPS of $0.22, $0.03 better than predicted. The company’s sales for the quarter increased by 37.8% to $149.38 million, $16.59 million more than the market expected. The shares of the firm has increased by around 63.87% in the last six months as of November 23. The CEO of the business made the following remarks on the third-quarter earnings:
Our ability to breathe cleaner air is aided by effective air quality management systems. Additionally, the solutions help companies comply with regulatory laws. There is clean air in many cities all around the world because of things like low traffic volumes, sparse populations, and an abundance of natural resources. These cities are desirable locations for vacationers or even long-term residents. Now let’s examine the US cities that are best for oxygen. You may also look at the US’s 30 Most Polluted States.
We used the assumption that the US cities with the best air quality would also have higher oxygen concentrations when compiling our ranking of the most oxygen-friendly cities. We later verified this theory using data from a research that was referenced on the NIH website. According to studies done in 2015, there may be a connection between reduced oxygen saturation and non-traffic particle exposure. Our rating is based on the IQAir index. The yearly average PM2.5 concentration of cities was given in the index.
A lower mean PM2.5 concentration is correlated with higher oxygen concentrations. According to the average PM2.5 concentration, the list has been sorted in descending order. The WHO recommends that the yearly average PM2.5 concentration be between 0 and 5.