Air pollution is a developmental challenge impacting the lives and livelihoods of billions of people globally. The majority of the Asian region is also a global hotspot of air pollution. While sources of air pollution can be natural or anthropogenic in nature, it is the anthropogenic part that can be mitigated to achieve better air quality in the region. While for the natural part, appropriate risk assessment and reduction strategies should be set in place. To have a better understanding of the entire situation, it is important to bring together the scientific, policy, preparedness, and individual aspects of air pollution. This will ensure strategic planning and effective implementation of actions to mitigate the deteriorating air quality in the region.
While there has been a lot of discussion at various forums upon integration and interdisciplinary studies, the theme of air quality presents a unique opportunity to realize the same. Although the importance of studying air quality has been well realized, the integration of interdisciplinarity is still lacking. Through this Research Topic, we would like to bring together a collection of Original Research papers that would span across core scientific aspects of air pollution, the socio-economic dimension, the behavioral and perception part, mitigation from policy, technological lens and their effectiveness, action planning and risk mitigation from an air pollution disaster point of view.
We welcome submissions related, but not limited to, the following themes:
• Status of air pollution in various Asian cities/rural locations /regions;
• Chemical, physical, and biological characterization of air pollutants;
• Air quality experimental and modelling studies;
• The socio-economic dimension of air pollution;
• Public perception of air pollution and willingness to pay;
• Health effects of air pollution (epidemiological, laboratory based etc.);
• Linkages of air pollution and agriculture;
• Linkages of air pollution and tourism;
• Occupational health impacts due to air pollution;
• Air quality mitigation planning and technological advancements;
• Risk assessment and preparedness for air pollution from a disaster risk lens; and
• Externalities of air pollution.
This Research Topic has been realized in collaboration with
Dr. Pratima Singh, Research Scientist at the Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), Bangalore.