Research summary
To address problems like poor air quality and climate change, we need new technologies and sound policy decisions. But the effectiveness of these solutions can be difficult to quantify using laboratory-based research, which is not always effective at representing real-world behaviours.
As Canada Research Chair in Sustainability, Dr. Naomi Zimmerman is using real-world, multiscale air-quality monitoring to quickly and quantitatively assess the impact of our policy decisions and technologies on air and climate outcomes. The data she is collecting can also be extrapolated to city and regional-scale systems to forecast the impact on air and climate. Ultimately, Zimmerman and her research team hope to improve air quality and mitigate climate change in an increasingly globalized, urban world.