The Role of Community Science in Addressing Policy Change: A Critical Review of Air Pollution Literature
EfD Authors:
Abstract
Background Community air pollution science serves as a vital tool in public health and urban planning, enabling communities to advocate for policy changes that improve public health outcomes. Despite its potential, there is a noticeable gap in translating research findings into policy actions.
Objectives This review aims to assess the focus of studies on community air pollution science published between 1990-2023 and identify the extent to which these studies address the research-to-policy gap.
Cost-effectiveness of rural energy access strategies
Electricity price hikes raise firewood consumption and women’s collection time in Malawi
Households' preferences for door-to-door recycling service: A choice experiment in southern Chile
Rising temperatures cause lost incomes for informal workers
A study by EfD researchers Saudamini Das and E. Somanathan found that high temperatures cause significant income losses and health problems for informal sector workers, such as street vendors and
Promoting e-mobility in Uganda
EfD Authors:
Energy efficiency and reduced emissions are vital for Uganda's economic transformation. EfD researchers, in collaboration with civil servants participating in the Inclusive Green Economy Program (IGE), have assessed the current state of e-mobility, awareness, and perceptions about the dangers of using fossil fuel-powered engines and the benefits and challenges associated with e-mobility systems.
The use of plastic as a household fuel among the urban poor in the Global South
EfD Authors:
Increasing plastic waste pollution has led to a rising prevalence of the open burning of plastic waste, especially in locations lacking formal waste management systems. Urban slum communities face particularly acute challenges in accessing both organized waste-collection services and low-cost traditional energy sources, and clean cooking-fuel alternatives tend to be unaffordable for their low-income residents. Here we examine the potential risk these unseen communities face and describe the need for a new research agenda to better understand and quantify the scope of the problem.