Report on the Pajaro Valley Air Quality Initiative and its Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

A collaborative project led by the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) and the climate justice organization Regeneración is being implemented to enhance air quality monitoring in California’s Pajaro Valley. The initiative directly addresses multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by deploying advanced sensor technology to empower underserved communities, particularly farmworkers, with crucial data for health protection. The project focuses on mitigating the impacts of air pollution from wildfires and other sources, thereby promoting health equity, community resilience, and educational opportunities.

Project Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being & SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

The initiative’s primary objective is to safeguard public health in a region disproportionately affected by air pollutants, directly contributing to SDG 3. It specifically targets environmental justice for vulnerable populations, aligning with SDG 10.

• Targeted Communities: The project focuses on the Pajaro Valley, home to underserved farmworking communities who face high exposure to pollutants from agricultural activities and wildfire smoke.
• Health Empowerment: By providing real-time, accessible air quality data, the project enables individuals and organizations to make informed decisions to mitigate health risks, such as limiting outdoor activities during pollution events.
• Accessible Data Delivery: Recognizing disparities in internet access and language, the project is developing community-centered communication strategies.
  1. Installation of PurpleAir sensors with intuitive, color-coded LED light displays for language-independent understanding.
  2. Exploration of multilingual dashboards and peer-to-peer information distribution networks.
  3. Collaboration with Professor Katia Obraczka to utilize off-the-grid Internet of Things (IoT) networks, overcoming limitations of WiFi dependency.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities & SDG 13: Climate Action

The project strengthens community resilience to environmental and climate-related hazards, a core component of SDG 11 and SDG 13.

• Enhanced Monitoring Infrastructure: The deployment of approximately 25 new sensors fills significant data gaps in the regional air quality monitoring network, improving the community’s capacity to respond to pollution events like the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fire and the 2025 Moss Landing battery plant fire.
• Climate Adaptation: The initiative directly addresses the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires, a key consequence of climate change, by providing tools for adaptation and protection.
• Advanced Modeling: The use of drone-based vertical atmospheric measurements, combined with ground-level sensor data, aims to develop dynamic models that can predict pollution fluctuations and inform proactive decision-making.

SDG 4: Quality Education & SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

The initiative is built on a foundation of multi-stakeholder collaboration and includes a significant educational component, advancing SDG 4 and SDG 17.

• Interdisciplinary Collaboration (SDG 17):
  • Academic partnership between UCSC Assistant Professor Javier González-Rocha and community organization Regeneración.
  • Inter-departmental collaboration at UCSC involving experts in Computer Science, Environmental Studies, and Global and Community Health.
  • Engagement with local institutions, including the North Monterey County and Pajaro Valley Unified School Districts.
• Educational Outreach (SDG 4):
  1. Sensors are strategically placed near schools to serve as educational tools, inspiring curriculum development in data science, engineering, and public health.
  2. The planned “SkyLab” summer drone camp, supported by the Central Coast K-16 Education Collaborative, will provide students with hands-on experience in environmental sensing and technology.
  3. The project aims to foster student interest in STEM fields by connecting technology to real-world community challenges.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   The article’s primary focus is on protecting community health from the adverse effects of air pollution, particularly from wildfire smoke and other pollutants in the Pajaro Valley. It explicitly mentions providing “real-time information to help protect health” and empowering communities to “make informed decisions about their health.”

2. SDG 4: Quality Education

   The project incorporates a significant educational component. It aims to connect students to environmental monitoring through curriculum development and a summer drone camp called “SkyLab.” The article states this is a “great way to get students excited about coding, engineering, public health, and policy.”

3. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   The initiative specifically targets “underserved farmworking communities” and aims to address disparities in access to environmental information. The article highlights the “double burden affecting parts of Santa Cruz county and beyond: lower air quality and a lack of air sensors,” and the project’s effort to empower those most affected.

4. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   The project is centered on improving the environmental quality and resilience of the Pajaro Valley community. By deploying a network of air quality sensors, it directly works to make the community safer and more sustainable, especially in the face of environmental hazards like wildfire smoke.

5. SDG 13: Climate Action

   The article directly links the need for air quality monitoring to the “compounding effects of wildfire smoke,” which are climate-related hazards. The project aims to build “fire-informed resilience education and readiness training,” strengthening the community’s adaptive capacity to the impacts of climate change.

6. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   The entire initiative is built on collaboration. The article details the partnership between the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), and the Watsonville-based climate justice organization Regeneración, as well as interdisciplinary collaborations among various university professors and departments.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 3.9:

  By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination. The project directly addresses this by monitoring air pollutants to help residents avoid exposure and protect their health, especially after events like the “2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fire” where air quality levels were “nearly ten times the federal threshold.”

• Target 4.7:

  By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development. The “SkyLab” summer drone camp and the goal to “inspire curriculum development” are direct efforts to educate students on environmental sensing, technology, and data-driven decision-making for sustainability.

• Target 10.2:

  By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all. The project focuses on empowering “underserved farmworking communities” by providing them with accessible data to “advocate for themselves” and make informed decisions, addressing information gaps that disproportionately affect them.

• Target 11.6:

  By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management. The core of the project is to “improve air-quality monitoring in the Pajaro Valley” by deploying new sensors and filling “significant gaps in the air quality monitoring network.”

• Target 13.1:

  Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries. The initiative is a direct response to the increasing frequency of wildfires, a climate-related hazard. It aims to build “community-responsive approach to environmental monitoring and climate resilience.”

• Target 17.17:

  Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships. The project is an example of such a partnership, described as a collaboration between “University of California, Santa Cruz Assistant Professor…Javier González-Rocha in partnership with Watsonville-based climate justice organization Regeneración.”

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator for Targets 3.9 and 11.6:

  The article implies the measurement of air pollutant concentration. It mentions air quality levels being “nearly ten times the federal threshold,” indicating that progress can be measured by tracking the annual mean levels of air pollution (e.g., PM2.5) in the Pajaro Valley. The deployment of sensors itself is a measurable outcome; progress can be tracked by the number of new air quality sensors deployed and operational (the article states “so far they’ve deployed about 25 new sensors”).

• Indicator for Target 10.2:

  Progress can be measured by the accessibility of the information provided. The article mentions the need for “multilingual dashboards and methods to distribute information via peer-to-peer conversations.” An implied indicator is the development and utilization of culturally relevant and accessible communication tools (like the color-coded LED lights on sensors) for air quality data.

• Indicator for Target 4.7:

  The article mentions specific educational programs. Progress can be measured by the number of students participating in environmental education and STEM programs like the “SkyLab, a summer drone camp.”

• Indicator for Target 13.1:

  Resilience can be measured by the community’s ability to act on information. An indicator is the community’s demonstrated capacity to use real-time data for informed decision-making regarding outdoor activities and health protection during pollution events.

• Indicator for Target 17.17:

  The existence and effectiveness of the partnership is an indicator. Progress can be measured by the number and scope of established partnerships between academic, community, and public entities focused on climate resilience and health equity.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: news.ucsc.edu