Deployment of a Low-Cost Sensor Network to Measure CO2 Emissions and Pollution Exposure Across the city of New Haven

Cities are hotspots for carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, which drive climate change, and particulate matter air pollution, which causes respiratory and heart problems. In cities, these two types of pollution are highly correlated due to fossil fuel combustion. CO2 emissions are generally measured at the country level, making the data too coarse to inform local climate mitigation actions. This team is developing low-cost Internet-of-Things sensors to measure outdoor air. They will monitor CO2 and particulate emissions in and around New Haven, quantifying air pollution exposure in different neighborhoods and examining correlations between exposure, demographics, and socioeconomics. Their technical innovations could be deployed in cities worldwide, providing useful data to help city planners understand the sources and effects of emissions.