Why PEACE-Air Matters

Air pollution is a significant public health and environmental issue across the island of Ireland. Key pollutants, particularly particulate matter (PM), arise mainly from solid fuel burning for home heating, road transport emissions and agricultural ammonia.

These pollutants do not recognise borders, meaning emissions in one jurisdiction can affect communities in another. Despite this, air quality has traditionally been addressed separately in each jurisdiction, limiting the effectiveness of policy responses.

Our Aim

The overall objective of PEACE-Air is to build a sustainable Partnership for Evidence and Action on Clean Air across the island of Ireland. The project aims to improve air quality by strengthening cooperation, generating robust scientific evidence, informing policy, raising public awareness and supporting behavioural change.

What We Do

PEACE-Air focuses on three main sources of air pollution that have the greatest impact on health and the environment:

• Solid fuel burning – through cross-border monitoring, source attribution of particulate matter, community surveys and the establishment of the first accredited solid fuel testing laboratory on the island of Ireland.
• Road transport emissions – by monitoring exhaust and non-exhaust emissions in cross-border towns using advanced scientific techniques and low-cost sensor networks, supported by citizen science.
• Agricultural ammonia emissions – by assessing impacts on air quality, biodiversity and sensitive ecosystems, and improving monitoring and data sharing on an all-island basis.

What Makes PEACE-Air Different

PEACE-Air is the first project of its kind to tackle air pollution through a fully integrated, cross-border partnership on the island of Ireland. It combines advanced scientific research with practical policy support and community engagement, ensuring that evidence generated through the project leads to real-world action.

Key innovations include all-island source attribution of air pollution, new monitoring approaches, citizen science initiatives and long-term structures for cooperation beyond the lifetime of the project.

Who We Work With

The project is delivered by a diverse consortium of partners from across Ireland and Northern Ireland, including local authorities, universities, public health organisations and environmental agencies. This broad partnership ensures strong scientific expertise, policy relevance and local engagement, while supporting long-term cooperation on clean air.

Who Benefits

PEACE-Air is designed to benefit:

• Policymakers and public authorities, through improved evidence to inform air quality policy and enforcement.
• Communities and citizens, through increased awareness of air pollution and actions to reduce exposure.
• Environmental and health professionals, through training, shared resources and collaborative networks.
• The wider public, through cleaner air and healthier environments across the island of Ireland.

Funding and Programme

PEACE-Air is supported by the PEACEPLUS Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). The project contributes to the programme’s objectives of building partnership, addressing shared challenges and supporting sustainable, inclusive development across Ireland and Northern Ireland.