What are the hidden impacts of air pollution on health and society? CMCC researcher Stefania Renna, presents her latest work on air quality and health at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) 2025 press conference scheduled for April 28, 2025. Titled Take my breath away? How air pollution affects chronic diseases, schools and social mobility, the presentation will shed light on the hidden impacts of air pollution and the urgent need for action in safeguarding both our climate and our health. CMCC researchers will be convening and co-convening multiple sessions on a variety of key climate topics at EGU2025, the world’s foremost conference on geosciences.

As the world faces growing environmental challenges, air quality emerges as a critical link between climate change and public health. CMCC researcher Stefania Renna will  present an impact‑evaluation study, co‑authored with Jacopo Bonan (lead author), Francesco Granella, and Luis Sarmiento, titled “Improving Indoor Air Quality in Schools: Evidence from an Air Purifier Intervention with Low‑Cost Sensors” at the EGU press conference, alongside other presentations that together will outline groundbreaking research on how polluted air exacerbates respiratory diseases, chronic conditions like diabetes, and even the health risks posed by climate change itself.

“Our study makes several key contributions to the adaptation literature by experimentally demonstrating how portable air purifiers can tackle an important educational and economic outcome — primary school absenteeism — through improved indoor air quality,” says Renna. “As the first randomized controlled trial on the effect of air purifiers on absenteeism in primary schools, it provides clear causal evidence on an easily-implemented adaptation technology from a developed‑country context with moderate to high ambient air pollution. Our findings reinforce previous observational relationships between poor air quality and reduced educational performance and show that a relatively small investment of approximately €11 per avoided absence day provides a cost‑effective, scalable, and readily replicable solution for schools seeking to protect student health and increase attendance.”

The press conference presentations will explore ways of addressing issues connected to air pollution, protecting vulnerable populations and driving public health improvements globally.

The research contributes to the EGU General Assembly Session AS5.9 “Low-cost air quality sensors: challenges, opportunities, and collaborative strategies across the world”, co-sponsored by iCACGP/IGAC and World Meteorological Organization, highlighting the need for combined mitigation and adaptation strategies.

EGU25 will start on April 27 and continue until May 2, with sessions focusing on a variety of topics – including climate policy, NASA’s Juno mission, resilient climate technologies, plastics, and climate hazards for example – and CMCC researchers convening and co-convening multiple sessions on a variety of topics. See the full list here.

The meetings bring together geoscientists from all over the world, covering all disciplines of the Earth, planetary, and space sciences whilst providing a forum where scientists can present their work and discuss their ideas with experts in all fields of geoscience.

The European Geosciences Union is the leading organisation for Earth, planetary and space science research in Europe. With partner organisations worldwide, it fosters fundamental geoscience research, alongside applied research that addresses key societal and environmental challenges.