Same old story?

Every day it seems we learn something new about the air we breathe. And what we learn is often worrying. Scientists are finding more and more evidence for direct links between air pollution and illnesses like heart disease, lung cancer and asthma. The European Environment Agency estimates air pollution causes more than 400,000 premature deaths every year in Europe. And a recent report suggests air pollution is the fourth highest cause of death globally.

In the UK, activists don’t feel leaders are doing enough about the issue. Earlier this year, campaign group ClientEarth took the Welsh government to court for breaking EU-set NO₂ limits. The UK government has now lost its third court case brought against its air pollution policy. Thanks to the same group, the High Court ruled that current policy is sufficiently inadequate to be unlawful. And in March, environment experts resigned from the Scottish government’s clean air strategy team out of frustration from lack of progress.

Air pollutants and their sources are commonly studied in secondary level chemistry courses (see Taking care of the air for classroom resources and curriculum links). But, despite its real-world relevance, secondary teachers have told me it can be difficult to keep students interested in the topic. The same goes for other big environmental challenges, like climate change.