[113]. Assessment of loss of natural capital must
become a priority for the air pollution monitoring
community, as should the categorization of types
of natural capital vulnerable to air pollutants.
Mechanisms to ensure that natural capital is fairly
recognized in policy development need to be
installed at the international level.
Critical natural capital, natural capital that cannot be lost without irreparable terminal damage to
ecosystems and thereby similar damage to the
human economy, must also be considered. This
critical natural capital cannot be lost or exchanged
and, therefore, is literally priceless [108]. Criticality of natural capital can be judged in terms of
source and sink functions (sources of ecosystem
services and pollution sinks) and life support
functions [114]. Examples of critical natural capital would be keystone species or keystone processes [108], which can be affected by air
pollution. There is a certain level of natural capital
that must be maintained to preserve the biosphere
and hence humanity. Unfortunately, where this
level lies is not yet understood, especially in
terms of atmospheric aerosol loading and chemical pollution [115], two areas directly relevant to
the air pollution monitoring community. Air pollution monitoring and air pollution science must
be oriented toward defining where atmospheric
natural capital becomes critical, how air pollution
is damaging natural capital, and the quantification
of natural capital savings from emissions reductions. Air pollution monitoring could also provide
data on the development and redevelopment of
natural capital.
Resilience A sustainable system must be resilient
to external shocks and major changes, but the
socio-ecological concept of resilience encompasses more than an expectation of a return to
business as usual. Socio-ecological resilience is
not only the ability of a system to retain basic
functions despite a shock. It is also the capacity
for renewal, reorganization, and development
[109]. Air pollution monitoring should accept
the possibility of major system changes and monitor for gradual atmospheric change as early warning signs of upcoming system shifts [114,
116]. Early warnings would allow for preparation
for adaptation at worst, possibly allow for avoidance of the worst consequences of system shocks,
and expose opportunities to take advantage of
upcoming changes at best. The development of
appropriate atmospheric indicators of ecological
system shifts would be a major research project
and require much innovative air pollution monitoring. One aspect of such indicators would be
placing the concentration of air pollutants in the
context of the capacity of systems to continue to
absorb more pollution without major changes in
their behavior [114]. Indicators could also include
how the dynamic capacity (ability to reorganize
around changes) of environmental sinks (e.g., the
atmosphere) are affected by continued pollution
[114]. These types of indicators would be along
the lines of damage-oriented metrics used in lifecycle assessment methods.
Resilient systems are contrasted with vulnerable systems, in which small changes can cause
disastrous consequences. The resilience of the
human population is a sustainability-relevant metric to be developed. Resilience in this population
comes under fire when exposure to pollution
increases human vulnerability to disease, as has
been shown to be a likely outcome of exposure to
some air pollutants [117, 118]. Monitoring to
expose the development of vulnerabilities would
be a useful endeavor in the promotion of resilience. It would also be useful to show how the
allocation of the most polluted land to the most
vulnerable populations (babies, young people), as
in Mitchell and Dorling [119], and the associated
increases in asthma, other respiratory illnesses,
and allergies are affecting the ability of humans
to reorganize around potential atmospheric
changes. Development of such indicators will
rely on air pollution monitoring data.
Socio-ecological Justice The social justice of
environmental protection is a fundamental tenet
of sustainable development [119]. Environmental
justice is concerned with equal access to a clean
environment and equal protection from risks associated with environmental impurities [119]. Currently, economically disadvantaged communities
are often more exposed to air pollution than more
affluent communities [117]. Poorer individuals
Air Pollution Monitoring and Sustainability
409
become a priority for the air pollution monitoring
community, as should the categorization of types
of natural capital vulnerable to air pollutants.
Mechanisms to ensure that natural capital is fairly
recognized in policy development need to be
installed at the international level.
Critical natural capital, natural capital that cannot be lost without irreparable terminal damage to
ecosystems and thereby similar damage to the
human economy, must also be considered. This
critical natural capital cannot be lost or exchanged
and, therefore, is literally priceless [108]. Criticality of natural capital can be judged in terms of
source and sink functions (sources of ecosystem
services and pollution sinks) and life support
functions [114]. Examples of critical natural capital would be keystone species or keystone processes [108], which can be affected by air
pollution. There is a certain level of natural capital
that must be maintained to preserve the biosphere
and hence humanity. Unfortunately, where this
level lies is not yet understood, especially in
terms of atmospheric aerosol loading and chemical pollution [115], two areas directly relevant to
the air pollution monitoring community. Air pollution monitoring and air pollution science must
be oriented toward defining where atmospheric
natural capital becomes critical, how air pollution
is damaging natural capital, and the quantification
of natural capital savings from emissions reductions. Air pollution monitoring could also provide
data on the development and redevelopment of
natural capital.
Resilience A sustainable system must be resilient
to external shocks and major changes, but the
socio-ecological concept of resilience encompasses more than an expectation of a return to
business as usual. Socio-ecological resilience is
not only the ability of a system to retain basic
functions despite a shock. It is also the capacity
for renewal, reorganization, and development
[109]. Air pollution monitoring should accept
the possibility of major system changes and monitor for gradual atmospheric change as early warning signs of upcoming system shifts [114,
116]. Early warnings would allow for preparation
for adaptation at worst, possibly allow for avoidance of the worst consequences of system shocks,
and expose opportunities to take advantage of
upcoming changes at best. The development of
appropriate atmospheric indicators of ecological
system shifts would be a major research project
and require much innovative air pollution monitoring. One aspect of such indicators would be
placing the concentration of air pollutants in the
context of the capacity of systems to continue to
absorb more pollution without major changes in
their behavior [114]. Indicators could also include
how the dynamic capacity (ability to reorganize
around changes) of environmental sinks (e.g., the
atmosphere) are affected by continued pollution
[114]. These types of indicators would be along
the lines of damage-oriented metrics used in lifecycle assessment methods.
Resilient systems are contrasted with vulnerable systems, in which small changes can cause
disastrous consequences. The resilience of the
human population is a sustainability-relevant metric to be developed. Resilience in this population
comes under fire when exposure to pollution
increases human vulnerability to disease, as has
been shown to be a likely outcome of exposure to
some air pollutants [117, 118]. Monitoring to
expose the development of vulnerabilities would
be a useful endeavor in the promotion of resilience. It would also be useful to show how the
allocation of the most polluted land to the most
vulnerable populations (babies, young people), as
in Mitchell and Dorling [119], and the associated
increases in asthma, other respiratory illnesses,
and allergies are affecting the ability of humans
to reorganize around potential atmospheric
changes. Development of such indicators will
rely on air pollution monitoring data.
Socio-ecological Justice The social justice of
environmental protection is a fundamental tenet
of sustainable development [119]. Environmental
justice is concerned with equal access to a clean
environment and equal protection from risks associated with environmental impurities [119]. Currently, economically disadvantaged communities
are often more exposed to air pollution than more
affluent communities [117]. Poorer individuals
Air Pollution Monitoring and Sustainability
409