Residents of Curtis Bay in Maryland have been advocating for cleaner air for years. Now, a new satellite promises to significantly enhance air pollution monitoring. This development raises the question of whether it will lead to cleaner air in the most affected neighborhoods.
Across the United States, many communities, particularly those where working-class individuals and people of color reside, face the challenge of polluted air. While residents are often aware of the poor air quality, access to reliable data to fight their cause is limited.
NPR climate reporters Rebecca Hersher and Seyma Bayram discuss with Short Wave host Emily Kwong about a new satellite initiative — TEMPO, or Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution — offering hope to these communities by providing crucial data.
The TEMPO project is a collaboration between NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It will monitor pollutants such as ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide across the U.S. It will provide data every hour, every day, to help produce more timely and location-specific air quality information.
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This episode was produced by Berly McCoy. Rebecca Ramirez served as the managing producer. Rebecca Hersher and Seyma Bayram were responsible for fact-checking. Patrick Murray was the audio engineer.