Making Air Quality Count: Low-cost sensors, Public Health and Urban Planning
Name
desouza-desouzap-phd-dusp-2021-thesis.pdf
Description
Thesis PDF
Size
35.99 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
8ebc86ceab5257a2bbfe757dc192b721
Author(s)
deSouza, Priyanka
Advisor(s)
Knox-Hayes, Janelle
Date Issued
June 2021
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Ambient air pollution is responsible for ~ 4.2 million premature deaths every year making it the world’s single largest environmental health risk. Although 90% of this burden is borne by countries in the Global South, effective air pollution governance and monitoring in many of these countries is lacking. As of 2019, 57 countries had no air quality standards and 108 countries did not have air pollution data in any form. This dissertation attempts to understand and address some of the factors that have resulted in these gaps in data and governance. Specifically, this work makes two main interventions: 1) Low-cost sensors and satellite instruments have immense potential to further our understanding of air pollution, especially in the Global South where little data is available. This thesis develops new methods to derive useful insights about air pollution levels and sources from these technologies. Throughout, it highlights inequalities in production and access to data and these technologies that need to be addressed. 2) Air pollution monitoring practices and governance are intertwined with data infrastructures, political economy conditions, and anticipation of political engagement. This thesis studies the gaps in the data infrastructures and political economy conditions that prevent air pollution science and data from leading to effective regulatory action in the Global South. It uses Kenya as a case study for this work.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Urban Studies and Planning
Terms of Use
In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
Copyright retained by author(s)
Persistent DSpace Link
