Mostly, we do not notice or perceive the air around us. Air cannot be seen or tasted. However, we feel the air when it moves and we see the effect of air on surrounding objects. When air moves, it has great force (to push sails, turn windmills, and move clouds). When compressed into a small space, air also has great force (the air in a tire supports the vehicle and helps a helicopter take off).

When harmful substances enter the air, we speak of air pollution. Air pollution can be both natural and human-made, with the largest sources being industry, agriculture, and transport.

Industry, especially energy production, is a major source of pollution. All methods of energy production impact the environment, but fossil fuel use is the most polluting. Additionally, energy production affects the water cycle and alters the land, for example through mining and construction. Various industrial processes, such as chemical and metallurgical industries, affect air quality and cause increased pollution in certain areas.

Transport is important today but also pollutes. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from transport are major contributors to the greenhouse effect. Transport also releases many other pollutants, which form a significant portion of Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Agriculture is also a large source of air pollution, especially with intensive livestock farming and fertilization. Ammonia (NH3) emissions have increased particularly on large farms and agricultural lands, harming both air quality and water bodies. Agricultural activities can also cause damage to ecosystems and the accumulation of toxic chemicals in nature.

Waste management generates waste that increases air pollution. Every year, Europe produces huge amounts of municipal and industrial waste that harm the environment.

The health effects of air pollution are serious. It is linked to respiratory diseases, heart diseases, lung cancer, and nervous system disorders. The main risk groups are children, the elderly, and low-income people who may not always have access to medical care. Additionally, indoor air pollution, especially in developing countries, is one of the main health problems. Smoke from poorly ventilated stoves is a major cause of deaths, especially among young children.

Exposure to air pollution can occur in several ways, such as drinking polluted water, eating contaminated food, or inhaling polluted air. All these factors can cause serious health damage.

In summary, human-made sources of air pollution are widespread and diverse, posing dangers to both the environment and human health.

Air surrounds and supports us every day without us even noticing it.

Clean air is transparent. Clean air has no smell but carries scent molecules well. For example, in the morning when mom makes pancakes or when the grass is freshly cut, we smell those familiar scents. We can smell polluted air if there is smoke or other odors.

We feel the air when it moves, and we call that wind. The wind can be strong or weak. The effect of wind on the surroundings is easy to notice. Moving air has great force — trees sway, it’s hard to walk against the wind. Wind pushes sails, turns windmills, and moves clouds. Even compressed into a small space, air has strong force — for example, air in tires supports vehicles and helps helicopters take off.

When toxic particles enter the air, it is no longer clean but polluted. This is called AIR POLLUTION. Often these particles are invisible, and air movement carries them around. Since we constantly breathe air to get oxygen, we also inhale harmful and unnecessary substances, which directly affect our health.

Air pollutants can cause various harmful effects on human health, from minor ones (rashes, eye/nose irritation, headaches, fatigue, shortness of breath, cough, sneezing, dizziness) to serious conditions (respiratory and heart diseases, cancer). The health impact depends on the amount and frequency of exposure to pollutants.

Air pollution:

• causes respiratory and lung diseases as well as lung cancer;

• soils and degrades buildings;

• damages ecosystems;

• changes the weather – it helps trap heat and makes the air warmer than it should be;

• causes holes in the ozone layer and mixes with clouds, forming toxic acid rain.

Long-term changes caused by air pollution have a negative impact on our environment, for example, causing changes in our climate. Climate change can lead to warmer or colder temperatures and alter the average amount of rainfall or snowfall in specific regions. Climate changes can result in sea level rise, glacier retreat, and an increase in natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods.
The Earth’s climate has continuously changed throughout its existence, but scientists have observed that these changes are happening increasingly faster, partly due to the rise in air pollution.

• destroy the food and nutrients of fish and other aquatic life in oceans, lakes, and streams;

• damage trees (conifers are especially sensitive to acid rain because acid rain destroys the waxy protective layer on the needles);

• damage buildings and structures (limestone buildings are particularly affected by acid rain).

Air is usually cleaned of pollutants through the water cycle. However, there are currently two problems with this: the water cycle cannot clean pollutants as quickly as they are produced, and the high concentration of pollutants promotes the formation of acid rain.

Governments adopt strict regulations to control the amount of emissions released by industrial enterprises and various modes of transport. These air quality standards are designed to protect the health and well-being of people, plants, and animals, as well as to protect buildings, monuments, water resources, etc.

Air Quality Index (AQI): The air quality index is based on measurements of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions. Most monitoring stations on the map track both PM2.5 and PM10 levels, but some stations only have PM10 data available.

You can check the air pollution index for your location HERE.

WORKSHEET for determining today’s air quality. 

• Why is air so important to us?
  Answer: Air is important because it contains oxygen, which is essential for life.

• Is the quality of our air important? Is clean air important?
  Answer: Yes, polluted air can cause serious problems for us and our environment.

• How does air get polluted? What is air pollution? What are the main sources of air pollution?
  Answer: Air pollution is caused by many human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels.

• What can happen if you breathe polluted air?
  Answer: Polluted air can cause itching eyes, coughing, and with long-term exposure, more serious illnesses.

Students are given cards in pairs, with actions mixed from the global, regional, and individual levels. The cards need to be correctly grouped in pairs. To form pairs, the string method is used (the teacher holds bundles of tied strings, and children at the ends of the strings form pairs).

There are various measures to reduce air pollution that can be applied at global, regional, and individual scales. Below are some suggested solutions for each level. 

Global level:
International agreements and legislation – one of the most important ways to reduce air pollution is the implementation of international agreements, such as the Paris Climate Agreement, which set targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting the environment.
Use cleaner energy solutions – increase investments in renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydro energy to reduce the use of fossil fuels.
Development and dissemination of technology – develop and implement new technologies that help reduce industrial air pollution.

Regional level:
Air pollution limits in cities and regions – establish stricter air pollution limits and regulations.
Green areas and urban landscaping – promote the increase of green spaces in cities, for example by creating new parks or smaller green areas.
Local transport networks – develop infrastructure that encourages cycling and walking and support public transport to reduce car use and the associated air pollution.

1. Use more environmentally friendly transportation — prefer bicycles, walking, or public transport instead of cars.

2. Improve energy efficiency at home — use energy-efficient devices and lighting, choose renewable energy services, and make sure energy isn’t wasted at home.

3. Avoid overly polluting products — reduce the use of cleaning agents and pesticides that release harmful substances into the air. Also, reduce plastic use, which causes pollution and emits harmful substances during decomposition.

4. Change eating habits — prefer local ingredients, as transporting goods from far away pollutes the air more. Add more plant-based foods to your daily diet since livestock farming is a major source of methane and ammonia emissions.

5. Recycling and waste reduction — sorting waste and recycling help reduce the amount of waste in landfills, which can release pollutants into the air during decomposition.

Poster
Students must create a poster on the topic “Don’t pollute the air!”.
Add to the poster:

• factors that cause air pollution (4);

• what the country can do to reduce pollution (4);

• what each person can do to reduce air pollution (4).
  Students should use the Canva platform to create the poster. HERE you can find a Canva usage tutorial.

Creating a questionnaire in Google Forms:
Students create a survey with the following questions:

• What are the biggest causes of air pollution? (add different options)

• Is air pollution a problem in our country? (yes/no)

• Explain your previous answer. (longer text)

• How can you personally reduce air pollution? (longer text)

HERE you can find a guide for using Google Forms.
After completing the questionnaire, have the students answer the questions as well. Then you can review the results together and discuss what can be learned from them. To better visualize the results, it is recommended to use charts or graphs.

Experiment – Air Pollution Catcher
Duration: 3–7 days.

Materials needed:

• White paper plates, index cards, or cardboard

• Scissors

• Vaseline

• String or yarn

• Magnifying glass

• Microscope

• Waterproof black marker

Procedure:

1. Find locations where you can hang the air pollution catchers. Choose very different places, for example, one near heavy traffic with presumably more pollution, and another where you expect less pollution. You can place multiple catchers in each area.

2. Carefully poke a hole in the paper plate and thread a 50–100 cm long string through it. The string can be a bit longer; you can shorten it later if needed.

3. Write the date and location on each plate to identify the place later.

4. Apply a thin layer of vaseline carefully on one side of each plate.

5. Hang the paper plates in the chosen locations.

6. After three days, collect the plates and examine them with a magnifying glass and, if possible, a microscope. Fill in the TABLE based on the data collected.

Discussion (using the completed table):

• Are there many or few particles collected?

• How did the chosen location affect the results?

• What would happen if this experiment were done in a heavily polluted area, like a big city?

• How do different particles affect the air quality?

TABEL.

Interesting facts about air pollution (2023):

• According to a 2023 study, less than 1% of the world’s land area has safe air pollution levels. The regions with the highest air pollution are East and South Asia, followed by North Africa. Lower pollution levels are found in Australia, New Zealand, Oceania countries, and South America. Stricter regulations have helped reduce pollutants in Europe and North America.

• One in ten people dies due to air pollution. It is one of the main risk factors for chronic diseases and premature death globally. In 2017, air pollution caused around 5 million deaths (about 9% of the world’s population). Continuous exposure to polluted air increases the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, stroke, diabetes, and lung cancer. South Asian countries suffer the most from outdoor air pollution, accounting for 15% of deaths caused by air pollution worldwide, and people often wear masks outdoors there. In developed countries, this figure is about 2%, showing a significant difference between developed and developing nations.

• Air pollution shortens the lifespan of billions of people worldwide. According to a 2021 report by the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute, residents of India—the country with the world’s highest air pollution levels—lose on average 5.9 years of life due to poor air quality. Although the top five most polluted countries are all in Asia, the problem is rapidly growing in Central and West Africa, where life expectancy has dropped by 2–5 years, making air pollution a greater health risk than well-known killers like HIV/AIDS and malaria.

• Climate change increases the frequency of extreme weather events and wildfires. Longer dry periods and increased deforestation raise wildfire risks, releasing pollutants into the air that can spread far. For example, smoke and particulate matter from the 2019-2020 massive wildfires in Australia spread not only to nearby New Zealand but also as far as South America.

• Only seven countries met the WHO air quality standards in 2023. These were Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius, and New Zealand. The most polluted countries in 2023 were Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India, where PM2.5 levels exceeded WHO standards by several times.

Osad faktid pärinevad siit: https://earth.org/10-facts-about-air-pollution