By Kevin Mullaney

I’m concerned about the climate crisis but find it hard to be more than ‘simply concerned’. I am not alarmed when I hear of the ice caps melting, or that the tide will rise gradually over the coming decades. I recognise it is important to “Reach Net Zero by 2050”, but I have no idea what this means for me, as a person, and so I have no strong feelings about this intention. The consequences of the climate crisis sound brutal, but then again, doing something about it is never at the top of my list, on a given day.  

There are a lot of consequences of the climate crisis that I want to care more about because I know they are important, but I’ve found myself caring more about what its ‘causes’ mean for me—namely, air pollution. ‘Carbon emissions’ have been described as the ‘currency’ we are overspending, or the ‘calories’ we are overconsuming, but in reality, they are neither of these things. They are a part of the atmosphere, the air we breathe, likewise oxygen and nitrogen. 

Since the Industrial Revolution, we have been burning fossil fuels, and have overdosed our atmosphere with not only carbon emissions but also PM2.5 and other gases like nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide. These are less familiar to us but from what I have learned about them, the last thing we should be doing is breathing them. 

PM2.5 – Vague and dangerous. 

PM2.5 might be familiar as one of the types of masks available for use during COVID-19 but is likely to be unfamiliar outside that sphere. It is described as fine ‘particulate matter’, less than 2.5 microns, or 1/33 of a human hair, in diameter. This means that it can pass through our lungs and into our bloodstreams, and stay in our bodies. This won’t be too bad, except PM2.5 is the matter produced by the burning of fuel for heat or energy.

Its increased concentration in local air quality is strongly associated with increased lung and heart diseases, such as cancers and chronic pulmonary diseases. Exposure among children can stunt their lung and brain development. It affects the immune system, causing an increased prevalence of allergies and weakened immunity. Any one of these conditions can destroy a life, or at least, the quality of life.

This means that the particles we breathe in, without a moment’s notice, could be slowly ravaging our bodies. It could be the thing that kills us, a death sentence picked up between two breaths. Maybe it just happened.

“Surely, this won’t happen to me”

Environmental damnation is quite grim, so at this point, I would ask myself ‘How likely is this going to happen to me?’ Some factors make it more likely, such as being in smoggy or hazy environments,  being near burning fuels, or running contaminated liquid like polluted water or slurry, as these are actively churning out air pollutants. There are Air Quality map resources online if you would like to see the air quality in your area. It is worth highlighting that Ireland did not meet the WHO Air Quality Standards for Health in 2021.  

With all this in mind, I would find myself saying ‘Well, it could happen to people in my circumstances, but surely it won’t happen to me’. I thought that too, up until 6 years ago when my dad was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, or IPF – Latin for ‘Aggressive, untreatable lung disease of unknown cause’. For around  5 years, my Dad would find it harder to breathe, until he couldn’t. He had a history of a bad heart, and so had always looked after himself. He never smoked, and the doctor could only say it was likely to do with ‘something he breathed in at some point in his life’. He fought very hard, and passed away in June two years ago, at the age of 64. I thought we were invincible until the day we weren’t. 

What can we do?

This is why it is important to Fight for Air; it is too frustrating and deflating to do less. 

Do what we can ourselves – be responsible for burning less fuel— for heat, car journeys, and home energy. Be energy-efficient by reducing energy usage or choosing less fuel-intensive ways of travelling like buses, active transport, or carpooling. 

Be proactive – question our energy suppliers and bin collection services about their waste practices and be willing to change service providers. Support those that are transparent about their practices and are trying to produce fewer pollutants, because they know we care. 

Be heard – contact our elected officials and tell them that the addressal of this problem will secure our support for them. Push for details, to see if there is substance behind their statements. Thoughtful and comprehensive changes to farming practices, energy production, and traffic management are necessary to affect air quality. This requires the election of people who seek to engage with these challenges. If we elect public servants who ‘blow smoke’, it will not make the air cleaner.  

Some of these actions are daunting or uncomfortable, so when we feel hesitant, think. Think of every child whose first breath is now exponentially more dangerous than ours was. Think of every parent and grandparent, who could lose decades of their life to an avoidable illness.

When it comes down to it, air does not care if we think air quality is an important issue. Air does not care if we think someone else should do something about it, or if we are not responsible. Air does not care if we find it inconvenient to address air quality. When we Fight for Air, we either fight hard enough to survive, or we don’t.