Clearing the Air: Understanding New York City's Air Quality and Climate

Air pollution is a significant global problem, leading to 9 million premature deaths each year worldwide, and cities bear the brunt of its devastating impact. Most toxic pollutants are emitted alongside carbon dioxide (CO2) when we burn carbon-based fuels. This raises the crucial question: How can we reduce CO2 emissions to stop climate warming while simultaneously improving air quality to safeguard millions of lives?
Examining the evolving air quality and greenhouse gas landscape in New York City is imperative to addressing this question. Air pollution laws have been in place for many decades but we are only now beginning to see the implementation of climate legislation such as the NY Climate Leadership and Community Protection Plan (CLCPA). How do these laws impact urban air quality and greenhouse gases?
Atmospheric chemist Róisín Commane describes some of the surprising results from our observations of air pollutants and greenhouse gases in the New York City metro area over the past few years. This data offers invaluable insights into the intersection of climate-related laws and their impact on air quality.
Róisín Commane is an Associate Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia, and a member of the Ocean and Climate Physics Division at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. Commane uses observations and modeling of gases in the atmosphere to examine the rates of gas emissions into the atmosphere from both natural and human sources, in cities and in remote areas. She works with New York State agencies to identify previously unidentified sources of methane and on developing pathways to reduce these emissions.