Earth Day isn’t just a symbolic moment—it’s an opportunity to listen to what the planet is trying to tell us. Over the past 15 months, Ambee has been tracking environmental signals across air quality, pollen levels, and wildfire activity. The results are clear: the climate is shifting, and our data helps pinpoint where, how, and with what impact.

What follows is a data-informed summary of how air, allergens, and fire exposure evolved globally, and what that means for the people and systems responding to them.

Air quality: Persistent pressure vs. reliable stability

Across some urban centers, poor air quality wasn’t just seasonal but constant. New Delhi recorded the highest average AQI in our dataset at 165, peaking at 278 in June and never dropping below 80. That kind of persistent exposure increases chronic risk for cardiovascular and respiratory health.

Meanwhile, Cairo remained above AQI 100 for most of the year, with a spike in February near 200. Ulaanbaatar’s air quality showed more volatility, swinging between 66 and 202, driven mainly by winter heating.

Other cities told a different story. In Tokyo, April brought an AQI of 28. Porto Alegre and Auckland maintained values under 40 across most months. These examples illustrate how geography, emissions control, and infrastructure can work together to make urban air more breathable.

Together, these divergent patterns highlight a larger reality: some populations face significantly greater environmental burdens than others, and targeted interventions are needed to close this gap.

Pollen trends: High loads and shifting seasons

Allergen exposure was marked not just by its volume, but by its timing and interplay with pollution. In Bamako, tree pollen hit an annual high of 10,204 in March—the highest of any city in our records. Delhi’s early-year spike of 953 in January overlapped with already elevated AQI levels.

In Houston, April became a convergence point: AQI reached 82 while pollen crossed 1,300. These overlapping stressors have been shown to trigger emergency room visits and spike health-related absenteeism.

However, not all cities experienced abrupt surges. Athens condensed its pollen season into January, with pollen from tree, weed, and grass types all peaking at the same time. London followed a more gradual path—cleaner spring air gave way to increasing weed pollen through summer and into fall.

Tree pollen generally peaked earlier in the year, while weed pollen rose in later months.

Seasonal pollen dynamics by region

When viewed globally, the seasonality of exposure aligned closely with climate and geography. In the Southern Hemisphere, cities such as Porto Alegre and Auckland experienced increased autumn pollen levels between March and May. In tropical cities like Bamako and Bangkok, pollen levels remained elevated throughout most of the year, with less pronounced peaks.

Temperate cities like Tokyo and London exhibited more distinct transitions, with spring and fall bringing noticeable changes in both air quality and pollen composition.

These trends carry practical implications. Retailers can better time product launches for allergy care. Public health systems can coordinate alerts and interventions more effectively. And environmental planners can use these patterns to adapt green infrastructure to local conditions.

Wildfires and the almost invisible risks that come with them

In 2024, wildfire activity intensified across multiple continents, affecting not just land but also air quality and health. North America recorded over 50,000 wildfire events, burning more than 48 million acres. Europe experienced over 3,500 incidents, affecting 1.6 million acres.

Wildfires are now a major contributor to both short-term and long-term air pollution, releasing fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ground-level ozone. These pollutants travel far beyond fire zones, affecting populations hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away. The increase in wildfire events underscores the need to integrate fire risk and air quality in health monitoring, particularly in regions already facing high baseline pollution.

When multiple stressors align

One of the most consistent and essential observations from the year was how frequently different forms of exposure occurred together. In Houston and Delhi, periods of elevated air pollution and high pollen loads overlapped. These combined events amplify risk and require more integrated responses.

Traditional monitoring systems often treat these variables independently. But from a health perspective, they’re deeply connected. For people with asthma, cardiovascular conditions, or compromised immune systems, it’s the combination, not just the individual values, that drives outcomes.

From data to decisions

The environmental story of the past year wasn’t defined by a single event—it was shaped by continuous shifts and overlapping exposures. For businesses, cities, and individuals, this kind of data is no longer optional; it’s foundational. From forecasting demand in consumer health to powering automation in smart devices and guiding public infrastructure planning, environmental intelligence is now a strategic asset.

What we measure informs what we protect. And as our understanding deepens, so does our ability to act.

At Ambee, we turn raw environmental signals into insights that drive action, so awareness doesn’t stay on dashboards but translates into smarter, faster, and more resilient decisions. We’ll continue to make these insights easier to access and apply, so that environmental awareness becomes a tool for action, not just reflection.