Budget cuts at US State dept slash pollution monitoring data collection

WASHINGTON: The State Department of the United States has announced that it is ending the overseas Air Quality Monitoring Programme’s transmission of data. The project has been serving as an important tool to measure air pollution accurately.

The data tracking was carried out by the US embassies since 2008, and until Tuesday (yesterday) it had also been a prominent source of data for research and policy making worldwide. The move comes as part of President Donald Trump’s reforms cut down overseas spending and climate financing.

Tracking Pakistan’s climate: weekly highlights

In a statement, the US State Department spokesperson said, “The current budget climate requires us to make difficult cuts and, unfortunately, we cannot continue to publish this data”. The historical data, however, will still be accessible from the Environmental Protection Agency website.

Live data has now been stopped, and will only resume if the funding is restored. The Air Quality Monitoring Programme has not only been collecting valuable data in terms of research, but it has also been a source of reliable information as opposed to many countries censoring their own data for political or financing purposes.

A proof of this was the prominent incident in 2014, when China barred US embassy’s data, only to have it published on social media, revealing that the actual pollution levels in China were much worse than the government’s reported figures.

Earlier, the Trump administration shut down the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which has long served as an important tool for the US in exerting its influence overseas. Moreover, environmental staffing within the US has been markedly reduced by the new government, which has also reversed several climate initiatives started by Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden.

DATA IS ALL THE MORE IMPORTANT AS CLIMATE WORSENS

The move comes at a time when the world is becoming increasingly sensitised to climate change and worsening global warming. Just last year, the intensifying heatwaves all across the world led to a surge in demand for air conditioners (ACs).

Wishing the climate crisis away: denial won’t lower temperatures

In countries like Pakistan, more ACs also mean higher strain on the power grid and load shedding, as well as higher demand for fossil fuels.

With higher electricity production, the environmental damage also rises, and without reliable data, the policy makers may be in the dark about the intensity of the efforts needed to combat air pollution.

A report by a think tank in the United Kingdom, Ember, the year 2024 saw extreme heatwaves in India, China, and the US as well, which also resulted in a massive surge in AC usage. During some months, the power demand almost doubled, Ember report said.

Coal-fired power production still constitutes a notable part of the power generation mix for many countries – including the US as well as Pakistan. Consequently, heatwave-induced higher demand for power also led to higher coal-powered electricity generation, which also left its environment impact.

IMF to give Pakistan $1b in climate finance: finance minister tells senate committee

The situation is similar in China as well. Ember report said, “Overall, from April to September 2024, higher air-conditioning needs accounted for 31 per cent of the rise in China’s electricity demand compared to the same period in 2023. During the same time period, electricity demand in the US jumped 37 per cent for the same reason.”