Megacity air quality

ENVR 53

Charles E. Kolb, kolb@aerodyne.com, Center for Chemical and Environmental Physics, Aerodyne Research Inc, 45 Manning Rd, Billerica, MA 01821
The United Nations (UN) tabulated 19 “megacity” metropolitan areas with populations in excess of 10 million in 2007, up from two in 1950 and three in 1975. UN demographers project that there will 27 megacites by 2025. These massive urban agglomerations are unique human dominated ecosystems with metabolic characteristics that profoundly influence their environments, with local, regional, hemispheric and even global impacts. The urban metabolism of megacites will be reviewed with emphasis on urban respiration and its impacts on climate and air quality. Air quality characteristics of selected megacities in both developed and developing regions will be presented and their impacts discussed.