We spend a lot of time indoors, whether we live in the city or the countryside. In fact, city dwellers spend over 90% of their time indoors, and rural folks spend more than 70%. But guess what? The air we breathe indoors can be up to five times more polluted than the air outside! And yet, indoor air quality is often overlooked and considered less important than outdoor air, which is tracked and shown by the Air Quality Index and similar measures. But indoor air quality can have a huge impact on our health, especially for vulnerable groups like kids, the elderly, and people with respiratory problems. We all saw this firsthand during the pandemic.
One of the main things that affect both outdoor and indoor air quality is the energy sources we use to heat, cool, and power our buildings and cars. The fact that we still rely so heavily on fossil fuels like coal, oil, natural gas, and their refined products is making air pollution worse and slowing down the transition to cleaner and greener energy sources. As we deal with the effects of climate change and the urgent need for renewable energy sources, it’s important to look at how the expected pro-fossil fuel policies of the incoming Trump administration might affect our efforts to improve indoor air quality, especially in schools and public buildings.
A pro-fossil fuel policy would slow down the energy transition and, while it might help in the short term, could hurt the US’s goal of being energy-independent in the long run. By putting more emphasis on fossil fuels, the country risks getting stuck in a carbon-heavy energy system, which could make it harder to develop renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and hydro power on a big scale. With COP29 making progress towards a global carbon credit market, this could put US manufacturers at a disadvantage. This would make it even harder to fight climate change and keep the US relying on unstable global energy markets. It’s clear that the US can’t produce all its energy locally without expanding renewables. Also, such a policy could stop innovation in clean energy technologies, which could delay the development of advanced energy storage solutions and efficient energy grids, which are crucial for electrification and self-driving cars. In the end, a pro-fossil fuel approach would hurt the long-term economic and environmental health of the United States.
Climate change, caused mainly by burning fossil fuels, can also affect indoor air quality indirectly. Extreme weather events like heatwaves, wildfires, and storms can cause more pollutants to be inside buildings. For example, wildfires can release smoke and tiny particles into the air, which can then be drawn into buildings or make the air stuffy instead of letting fresh air in. And more and more extreme temperatures mean people need to use heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) in places that were once considered mild.
Older buildings, often heated with fossil fuel systems, may not have good ventilation or insulation, which can make the air inside poor. Upgrading and fixing these buildings is expensive, so owners often don’t want to do it. Even in newer buildings, energy-efficient designs can trap pollutants indoors if not properly ventilated, which helps the climate but can also hurt people’s health.
Since there are billions of dollars worth of buildings that are still useful for decades, we need to fix them up and make them healthier and more energy-efficient. This makes sense no matter what kind of energy the buildings use. Understanding the inside environment and using indoor air quality sensors and actuators to automate HVAC as much as possible is a key step to both saving energy and improving indoor air quality. Fossil fuel dependence can also slow down efforts to improve indoor air quality. When the new government gives money to fossil fuel industries, funding for green projects, like indoor air quality projects, might go down. This could mean that maintenance is delayed, ventilation systems aren’t good enough, and there’s not enough money to invest in modern HVAC and air purification technologies.
Even though we live in a world where fossil fuels and old economy interests are the main ones, the future is clear. While current indoor air quality projects might be delayed, COVID-19 and wildfires and other extreme weather events have shown that indoor air quality is a big concern for everyone, not just people who care about indoor air quality or politicians. With the health effects of poor indoor air quality becoming more and more clear, there’s a strong push for policies and rules that make sure the air is clean. The first step towards making better decisions and getting involved is to have affordable and easy-to-use air quality monitors.
But we can’t ignore that economic problems and a focus on getting more fossil fuels and building more infrastructure mean that money is taken away from green projects and indoor air quality initiatives that could have helped us all a lot.
Advocacy and public awareness are super important in shaping the future of indoor air quality. Community groups like Mothers and Others for Clean Air and environmental organizations can raise awareness and get people on board. Policymakers also need to step up and make sure indoor air quality is a top priority. By pushing for stricter building codes, energy efficiency standards, and funding for clean air projects, we can create a healthier and more sustainable future for everyone. And let’s not forget, this is something we can all do, regardless of our political beliefs. The future of indoor air quality is in our hands, and we can make a difference!