US State Department Kills Global Air Monitoring Program Researchers Say Paid for Itself

In 2008, the US Embassy in Beijing started regularly tweeting about the air quality in the city, which was gearing up to host China’s first Olympic Games. Two times a day, the embassy automatically published current pollution levels measured by an air quality monitor installed on its roof in collaboration with the US Environmental Protection Agency. The data contradicted the figures published by the local government, angering local officials and eventually spurring China to clean up the air in its capital city. But on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the US State Department told WIRED that the program is abruptly ending due to budget constraints. The project eventually became part of a broader, highly successful US government initiative known officially as DOSAir, which measured pollution levels in about 80 cities where US diplomatic missions are located around the world. Scientists and researchers have credited it with helping clean up the air in dozens of countries, preventing up to 895 ... Read full article.