Over 50% of the cars in Greece are old (and big polluters), and a staggering 20% of them circulates free without MOT certification!

Today I brought my car to take a MOT (Maintenance of Traffic) certificate. Greek law requires all vehicles to take a MOT certificate every two years from the moment your vehicle gets 4 years old. Needless to say, the car was in perfect condition since I always service it properly and take good care ofContinue reading “Over 50% of the cars in Greece are old (and big polluters), and a staggering 20% of them circulates free without MOT certification!”

Daily Air Quality measurements along Agis Emmanouil’s 2421km Athens-Glasgow Climate Run. Part 1: GREECE

GREECE: Day 1-Day 5, Athens-Patras, 216,9km, 35:19 hours The first part of Agis Emmanouil’s adventure from Athens to Glasgow has come to an end. Agis started in Athens on August 11th and arrived in Patras on the 15th. See my previous post for a description of this unique endeavour and the reasons for it. AgisContinue reading “Daily Air Quality measurements along Agis Emmanouil’s 2421km Athens-Glasgow Climate Run. Part 1: GREECE”

Cleanairingreece pairs up with the Marathon runner Agis Emmanouil on his 2421km Athens-Glasgow run to record Air Pollution all along his way!

Tomorrow August 11th the Greek Marathon runner and actor Agis Emmanouil will start his 2421Km Climate Run from Athens towards Glasgow, where he plans to arrive in time for the COP26 Climate Conference in November, after a 2421 km run. He will bring his message to our political leaders in the simplest and most sustainableContinue reading “Cleanairingreece pairs up with the Marathon runner Agis Emmanouil on his 2421km Athens-Glasgow run to record Air Pollution all along his way!”

A very rough estimate of how many deaths could be attributed to Wood Smoke in Athens every year

This new study was published today. It shows the effects of wood heaters on people’s mortality in Armidale, an Australian city of 25.000 people in New South Whales. The study’s result is that every year 14 people die in Armidale because of the polluted air they must breathe because of wood heaters. Now, Armidale isContinue reading “A very rough estimate of how many deaths could be attributed to Wood Smoke in Athens every year”

Athens forests are burning… and thick smoke is covering the whole city

Good morning in hell… The huge wildfire just north of Athens that started yesterday is covering the whole city with smoke and ashes this morning. And outside it is 45 degrees… And for the first time, at last, a governmental warning has been issued to ask citizens to stay hermetically closed in their houses inContinue reading “Athens forests are burning… and thick smoke is covering the whole city”

How can you turn Air Quality data into Art? ARIA – An Audio-visual performance with music composed using Air Quality data taken from AQ Monitors in Greece

On the 27th of June 2021 I had the honour to present the Audio-visual performance “ARIA” – (Air in Italian) – at the Borderline Festival of the Stegi Onassis Cultural Foundation in Athens, along with the Video artist Erato Tzavara and the musician Coti K. How can you make Art from raw Air Quality data?Continue reading “How can you turn Air Quality data into Art? ARIA – An Audio-visual performance with music composed using Air Quality data taken from AQ Monitors in Greece”

During May 2021 Athens was the 5th most polluted city of Europe

During May 2021 Athens was the 5th most polluted city of Europe concerning Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2). Levels of NO2 are always very high in our city, way above the safety levels. The concentration of NO2 in the air may not exceed an annual average of 40 μg/m3, according to the EU Air Quality Directive. InContinue reading “During May 2021 Athens was the 5th most polluted city of Europe”

Wildfire smoke reached Athens today

The wildfire smoke from a pine forest near Korinth that reached Athens today afternoon reached also the N Cyclades, as it is clearly visible on the PurpleAir map here below. Yet, as tragic as it is to see yet another natural forest burnt down, I want to be the devil’s advocate and remind that inContinue reading “Wildfire smoke reached Athens today”

Air pollution is linked to ‘huge’ rise in child asthma GP visits

What a surprise….. Finally a new, big research backed by clinical data came out to tell us the obvious:Air pollution is linked to ‘huge’ rise in child asthma GP visits. And not only children, but people of all ages, although children are the most affected, unfortunately. Read a report of the study here, and theContinue reading “Air pollution is linked to ‘huge’ rise in child asthma GP visits”

Greek Orthodox Easter in days of high Air Pollution

Dear readers, I hope you all had a nice Orthodox Easter yesterday! Greek Easter this year came at a moment when the atmospheric conditions were not really favorable to do either fireworks nor open air grills. Yesterday we had one of the worse days of the year in term of Air Pollution. See in theContinue reading “Greek Orthodox Easter in days of high Air Pollution”