Paper short abstract:

Urban air pollution is a severe global health problem, particularly in the Global South. This presentation aims to question ever-growing calls for more and better air quality data by the international community through an exploration of fixed air quality monitoring infrastructure in Morocco.

Paper long abstract:

Urban air pollution is a severe global health problem, particularly in the Global South where 90% of air pollution mortality is concentrated. This presentation aims to question the decades-old and ever-growing calls for more and better air quality data in the South by international organizations and the Global North by showing how these appeals are adopted in local contexts. This will be done through the study of air quality infrastructure in Morocco.

This lower-middle income country constitutes a relevant case study given that it has been monitoring air quality for over two decades. The fixed air quality monitoring stations – particularly the “boxes” sheltering and enclosing costly sensors and analyzers – deployed across the country’s major cities are key elements of Morocco’s air quality management strategy. These “boxes” serve as a “cloak” to conceal the unmaintained monitoring equipment housed inside and their presence is also used as “proof” by the state that air pollution is being addressed. Air quality data is deemed necessary to study health impacts, but both air quality and health data are notably absent from public circulation despite the existence of this infrastructure.

Data was collected through literature review and two fieldwork visits during which over 70 semi-structured interviews with institutional actors, researchers, and activists, among others, were conducted. Findings are presented as part of an ongoing STS PhD research and within the framework of the Globalsmog project, a research initiative that aims to study the persistence of urban air pollution in cities across the Global South.