Clean Tech for Clean Air (CT4CA) aims to help European authorities deploy high-quality sensor networks as Member States implement the revised EU Air Quality Directive.
Today sees the launch of Clean Tech for Clean Air (CT4CA), a coalition launched in Brussels to support the role of small sensors in Europe’s clean air framework under the revised EU Air Quality Directive.
Spearheaded by Wiktor Warchałowski, CEO and Co-Founder of Poland’s Airly, the coalition also includes France’s Ecomesure and Ellona, Spain’s Kunak Technologies, and US-based Clarity Movement Co. Together, the five companies specialise in small sensor systems, environmental data and air quality monitoring.
CT4CA was created to support the delivery of Europe’s clean air ambitions at a critical moment for EU air quality policy. As Member States prepare to implement the revised Ambient Air Quality Directive, it asserts that public authorities should be equipped with the data, tools and technical expertise needed to better understand local pollution patterns, improve air quality planning and turn information into action.
While Europe has made significant progress in reducing air pollution, 95 per cent of urban residents are still exposed to air pollutant concentrations that exceed World Health Organisation (WHO) guideline levels.
Air pollution can worsen chronic conditions such as asthma, while also contributing to serious illnesses including ischaemic heart disease and lung cancer, leading to hundreds of thousands of premature deaths each year. Emerging evidence also links long-term exposure to air pollution with dementia, with studies suggesting its overall disease burden may exceed that of many other air pollution-related conditions.
The coalition contends that as Europe moves from clean air ambition to implementation, public authorities need more local and actionable data to understand where pollution is happening, who is exposed and which measures are working.
Fixed monitoring stations remain essential. High-quality small sensor systems can complement them by helping authorities identify pollution hotspots, strengthen monitoring networks and act where people are most exposed.
CT4CA calls for:
- Formal recognition of high-quality small sensors as a tool to close gaps in air quality monitoring across EU member states.
- Use of existing European technical specifications to enable sensor deployment today.
- Greater acceptance of reliable sensor data by public authorities, enabling more targeted and responsive clean air action.