BREATHING

Best practices to adapt to climate change: interregional approach to reduce emerging urban contamination

Climate change is reshaping atmospheric pollution patterns. Through rising temperatures and adaptations in vegetation and agricultural practices, new, understudied pollutants are becoming increasingly relevant. Urban areas in basins like the Po Valley are particularly at risk due to both human activity and unique geographic conditions.

The BREATHING project, funded under the Interreg Italy-Austria 2021-2027 programme, brings together partners from Italy and Austria with the aim to address the worsening air quality in cities and their surrounding areas due to climate change. A cross-border and multidisciplinary approach will enable the project to develop effective strategies for monitoring, predicting, and mitigating air pollution in urban environments adjacent to hilly and mountainous regions.

The project partners are: ARPAV-Regional Agency for Environmental Prevention and Protection of Veneto (Lead Partner), Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, University of Innsbruck, University of Bolzano, Municipality of Treviso and Tyrol Region.

A core outcome of BREATHING will be the development of a practical toolkit for local administrations, general public and specific target groups such as farmers. This toolkit will support the monitoring and forecasting of air quality changes driven by climate variables, and support the decision-making process for local adaptation toward greener, more resilient communities in line with European sustainability goals.

The work of the AFI-Lab focuses on evaluating the environmental impact of pesticide spray drift (PSD) from agricultural activities near urban and mountainous areas. Spray drift, which occurs when a portion of plant protection products is transported by wind outside the treated area rather than depositing on crops, poses a significant risk to nearby ecosystems and populations, especially in alpine regions where wind and thermal updrafts can carry aerosols over long distances. Our activities include analyzing current regulations and technologies to mitigate PSD, reviewing common spraying practices near urban zones, and identifying representative spraying machinery used in the study region. Controlled laboratory tests will be conducted to simulate drift under standardized conditions, allowing for the characterization and comparison of emissions across different equipment types.