Air Quality Matters

• #98 - The Housing Crisis vs. Climate Change: Europe's Impossible Decision? with Stijn Renneboog

  In this essential episode, we dive deep into the complexities shaping the European built environment with an industry expert from Eurovent (YR-VENT), the European industry association for Indoor Climate (HVAC), Process Cooling, and Food Cold Chain technologies. We tackle the core tension in Europe: reconciling the immense pressure for decarbonization with the political and social need for affordable housing. Is the EU's flagship Green Deal facing a legislative backlash? We explore the realities of the 'Fit for 55' package, the polarising effects on national politics (like in Germany), and how geopolitical shifts and inflation are changing market priorities. Key Topics Discussed: The EPBD Shift: Moving from a focus purely on energy consumption to a holistic Sustainable Buildings Directive that integrates Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ), occupant well-being, solar readiness, and sustainable mobility. IEQ: The Post-Pandemic Reality: Why the massive public awareness of indoor air quality during COVID-19 failed to translate into widespread market changes in schools and residential settings. Smart Systems & Complexity: The future of integrated HVAC systems, the inevitable comparison to complex modern cars, and the new digital skillset required for installers and maintenance personnel. The Risk of "Affordable" Building: A warning against short-sighted construction that focuses on upfront cost, leading to long-term issues like mold and poor health outcomes, and how institutional finance is now demanding IEQ data to mitigate asset risk. Circular Economy & EPDs: The pressing need for the HVAC industry to standardize and harmonize Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) to accurately calculate embodied carbon and operational carbon for new mandatory building requirements. About Eurovent (YR-VENT): As a coordinating body for the HVAC industry, YR-VENT represents manufacturers across heat pumps, chillers, air filters, and more. We discuss their role in monitoring legislative developments, driving market education, and running the independent third-party performance certification scheme to build confidence in product claims. What are your thoughts on the tension between sustainability and affordability? Let us know in the comments! HOST: Simon Jones: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-air-quality-matters/ GUEST: Stijn Renneboog: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stijn-renneboog-42893613b The Air Quality Matters Podcast in Partnership with Zehnder Group -  Farmwood - Eurovent- Aico - Aereco - Ultra Protect -  The One Take Podcast in Partnership with SafeTraces and Inbiot Do check them out in the links and on the Air Quality Matters Website. If you haven't checked out the YouTube channel its here. Do subscribe if you can, lots more content is coming soon. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: Europe's Built Environment at a Crossroads 00:02:39 The Housing Crisis vs Climate Action: Finding Balance 00:17:46 EPBD Evolution: From Energy to Holistic Sustainability 00:25:44 Making the Invisible Visible: Monitoring Indoor Air Quality 00:32:48 Sweden's Success: Ventilation Inspections Drive Energy Renovations 00:35:36 Beyond Minimums: The Market Opportunity for Better Air Quality 00:41:59 Technology Integration: The Promise and Complexity of Smart Buildings 00:48:01 Lessons from Singapore: Separating Conditioning from Ventilation 00:57:03 The COVID Legacy: Why Awareness Didn't Translate to Action 01:09:28 Follow the Money: How Finance is Driving Health in Buildings 01:16:30 Eurovent's Mission: Bridging Policy and Practice 01:32:10 The Embodied Carbon Challenge: Harmonizing Standards for Impact

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• OT26: The $9.5 Billion Contradiction - Why We Fund Fossil Fuels Over Clean Air

  Welcome back to Air Quality Matters and One Take, where we unpack the latest research and reports shaping our understanding of indoor air and the built environment. This week, I'm diving into the seventh edition of a critical annual report that reads like a global health check—not for people, but for policy. The State of Global Air Quality Funding 2025, produced by the Clean Air Fund and the Climate Policy Initiative, follows the money trail to reveal whether our global investments actually align with our stated goals for clean air, health, and climate action. The diagnosis? It's deeply concerning and frankly contradictory. The Shocking Reality: While the world talks endlessly about the air pollution health crisis, direct funding for outdoor air quality projects has plummeted by 20%, now representing just 1% of all international development funding. Meanwhile, fossil fuel-prolonging funding—money that actively entrenches our dependence on fossil fuels—has surged by 80% in a single year, reaching $9.5 billion. The Contradiction in Action: In 2023, development funders spent more than 2.5 times more money on projects that prolong fossil fuel use than on projects specifically designed for clean air. It's like trying to bail out a sinking boat with a teacup while someone else uses a power drill to punch holes in the hull. Case Study - Bangladesh: A country with some of the world's worst air pollution received $1.1 billion more in fossil fuel-prolonging finance than in all air quality projects combined. The contradiction is staggering. The Glimmer of Hope: Funding for projects with air quality co-benefits—like metro systems or renewable energy where clean air is a happy side effect—rose by 7% to nearly $29 billion. The report argues we need to stop letting clean air be a happy accident and integrate air quality targets into these massive projects from the beginning. The Inequality Crisis: Just three countries (Philippines, Bangladesh, China) received 65% of all direct outdoor air quality funding. Meanwhile, of the 10 countries with the world's highest PM2.5 concentrations, seven received less than $1 per person in total air quality financing. Sub-Saharan Africa's situation is particularly dire, with funding dropping by 91% and now receiving less than 1% of the global total. The Fundamental Question: This report isn't just a collection of data—it's a mirror held up to our global priorities. And right now, that reflection shows a world trying to treat a disease with one hand while actively feeding it with another. Air pollution isn't just an environmental or health issue, but a fundamental development challenge. The question this report leaves us with: What are we going to do to change the picture? The One Take Podcast in Partnership with SafeTraces and Inbiot Do check them out in the links and on the Air Quality Matters Website.

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• #97 - Inside the UN's Historic Indoor Air Quality Pledge with Georgia Lagoudas & Bronwyn King

  I sit down with two of the most influential actors in the indoor air quality sector, Georgia Lagoudas (Science Policy Expert and Bioengineer) and Bronwyn King (Australian Radiation Oncologist & Anti-Tobacco Campaigner), the principals behind the recent landmark air quality event at the UN General Assembly in New York. This event launched the Global Pledge for Healthy Indoor Air—the first international effort to formally recognise clean indoor air as a basic human right essential to health and well-being. In this powerful conversation, they break down: The Problem: Why, despite all the science and technology, we still don't have clean air in our schools, hospitals, and workplaces. The Water Analogy: How we expect clean water but accept unsafe air. The 6 Pillars of the Pledge: How clean indoor air stitches into Human Rights, Health, Pandemic Preparedness, Climate Resilience, Workplace Safety, and Inclusion. The Cost of Inaction: Why the long-term health impact of poor indoor air is comparable to tobacco exposure. The Future: How Air Club and the Global Pledge plan to create "Fear Of Missing Out" among governments and organisations to drive real change. Join the Movement & Take Action:  https://www.airclub.org/ GUESTS: Georgia Lagoudas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgialagoudas/ Bronwyn King: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bronwyn-king The Air Quality Matters Podcast in Partnership with Zehnder Group -  Farmwood - Eurovent- Aico - Aereco - Ultra Protect -  The One Take Podcast in Partnership with SafeTraces and Inbiot Do check them out in the links and on the Air Quality Matters Website. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: The Global Pledge for Healthy Indoor Air 00:02:30 Why a Pledge and Why Now 00:05:46 Creating Global Solidarity Through Advocacy 00:21:13 Air Quality as a Fundamental Human Right 00:22:56 Health Impacts: Beyond the Lungs 00:23:48 Pandemic Preparedness and Building Resilience 00:25:16 Climate Resilience and Wildfire Smoke 00:26:36 Workplace Safety and Accessibility Rights 00:38:38 The Invisibility Problem and Communication Challenge 00:47:05 Economic Impacts and the Cost of Inaction 01:03:18 Taking Action: From Pledges to Practice 01:10:53 Building the UN Coalition 01:19:10 Air Club and the Path Forward

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• One Take #25: From 57% to 75% - How Home Ventilation Transforms Adult Asthma Outcomes

  Does fixing ventilation in homes actually make people with asthma healthier? The answer is an emphatic yes – but the type of system you install makes all the difference. This episode unpacks a remarkable two-year study from Chicago that followed 51 adults with physician-diagnosed asthma across 40 homes, tracking their health before and after different ventilation interventions. The researchers didn't just install equipment and hope for the best – they meticulously measured asthma control month by month using standardized health scores, while simultaneously monitoring indoor air pollutants to understand exactly what was changing. The results are striking. Across all intervention types, participants saw a 6.3% improvement in asthma control scores – enough to shift the proportion of people with well-controlled asthma from 57% to 75%. But here's where it gets fascinating: the gold standard balanced ventilation systems with energy recovery (MVHR/ERV) delivered an 8.4% improvement, pushing 86% of participants into well-controlled territory and eliminating poorly controlled asthma entirely in that group. Meanwhile, simpler exhaust-only systems still helped but delivered less than half the benefit. The Smoking Gun: Nitrogen Dioxide The study identified a clear culprit: nitrogen dioxide from gas cooking. For every standard deviation decrease in indoor NO2 levels, asthma control improved by 7.1%. In a study where 90% of homes had gas stoves, this finding directly links the pollutants we generate indoors to measurable health outcomes. It's not just about bringing in fresh air – it's about diluting and removing the combustion byproducts that accumulate in our homes. Perhaps most powerfully, the greatest improvements occurred among those who needed it most: participants over 45, Black and African American residents, and households earning less than $75,000 annually. These groups started with worse asthma control, meaning the intervention delivered its biggest impact precisely where health disparities are greatest. From Building Codes to Therapeutic Environments This isn't just another academic exercise – it's real-world evidence that transforms how we think about home ventilation. The study shows that properly designed mechanical ventilation isn't a luxury or just about meeting codes; it's a direct public health intervention that can reduce health inequalities. The benefits aren't immediate – they build over months and years – but they're substantial and measurable. The implications are profound. When a ventilation upgrade can eliminate poorly controlled asthma in a group of sufferers, we're not talking about marginal gains. We're talking about transforming homes from environments that exacerbate illness into therapeutic spaces that actively support health. And crucially, this intervention works best for those who are suffering most – offering a concrete pathway to address health equity through better housing. This research moves us beyond theoretical arguments about air quality to hard evidence: engineering our indoor environments is healthcare by another name. For the millions living with asthma, especially in communities already facing health disparities, this study offers hope that relatively straightforward home improvements can deliver life-changing results. Effects of residential ventilation and filtration interventions on adult  asthma outcomes The Air Quality Matters Podcast in Partnership with Zehnder Group -  Farmwood - Eurovent- Aico - Aereco - Ultra Protect -  The One Take Podcast in Partnership with SafeTraces and Inbiot Do check them out in the links and on the Air Quality Matters Website. If you haven't checked out the YouTube channel its here. Do subscribe if you can, lots more content is coming soon.

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• #96 - Don't Look Up: How World Ventilate Day Is Fighting Apathy in Indoor Air Quality

  In this special episode, we sit down with the founders and champions of World Ventilate Day (November 8th) to dissect the critical difference between air quality and ventilation. They reveal why their focus is on action, agency, and empowering everyone—from homeowners to governments—to take control of their indoor environments. Key Discussion Points: Action vs. Nuance: Why the day focuses on ventilation (the action) rather than the more nuanced conversation around air quality. The Agency Angle: How ventilation provides agency at every level, from national governance to managing your own home. Beyond Air Quality: Why ventilation is critical not just for air, but for managing a building's thermal environment, humidity, comfort, and energy. The Pandemic's Legacy: The shocking realisation during COVID that "we haven't got a clue" about the ventilation in our buildings, and the danger of apathy today. The Collaboration Imperative: Discussing the theme 'Collaborate to Ventilate' and the need for engineers and building users to work together. What We're NOT Talking About: The panellists share their most pressing overlooked topics, including the destructive power of apathy , the complexity of real-world ventilation , and the urgent need for competence and accountability in the industry. Reframing Success: Why we need to measure the performance and outcomes of ventilation, not just the existence of a product. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: World Ventilate Day and Its Mission 00:02:25 Why Ventilation, Not Just Air Quality? 00:06:25 The Origins: How World Ventilate Day Began 00:09:02 The Pandemic Wake-Up Call: What We Didn't Know 00:17:10 Breaking Down Engineering Barriers Through Collaboration 00:21:56 Ventilation Engineers: The Hidden Health Heroes 00:23:45 The Lungs as Filters: A Powerful Analogy 00:28:57 The Future of World Ventilate Day: Going Global 00:34:21 Fighting Apathy: The Destructive Power of Indifference 00:38:12 The Complexity Challenge: Beyond Simple Solutions 00:43:52 The Competence Crisis: When Good Intentions Go Wrong 00:49:16 Reframing Success: From Products to Performance World Ventilate Day: November 8th.  Find out more and get involved: https://www.worldventil8day.com/ Cath Noakes Henry Burridge Nathan Wood #81 - Nathan Wood #15 Cath Noakes #7 Henry Burridge The Air Quality Matters Podcast in Partnership with Zehnder Group -  Farmwood - Eurovent- Aico - Aereco - Ultra Protect -  The One Take Podcast in Partnership with SafeTraces and Inbiot Do check them out in the links and on the Air Quality Matters Website.

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