How climate change affects air quality
People often think climate change and global warming are the same thing. While these phenomena are different things, it’s not surprising that the terms get used interchangeably because there’s interdependence between the two. So how do they work together to impact air quality?
The greenhouse effect
Global warming started during the Industrial Revolution when manufacturing began to burn fossil fuels and create air pollution. As factories—and later cars and more—emitted toxic fumes, the gases became trapped in the earth’s atmosphere. This led to the “greenhouse effect.” The sun warmed Earth as always, but now it was also warming the trapped gases, which in turn radiate heat back down to the surface.
The greenhouse gases created a seal around the planet. Everything under this seal began to warm up. The increased global temperature then led to severe weather events and, eventually, to the acknowledgement that the planet’s entire climate is changing.
Cycle: air pollution, global warming and climate change
This became a dangerous cycle that is still in effect: Air pollution leads to higher global temperatures. The increased temperatures exacerbate climate change. Then climate change intensifies some types of air pollution. The ongoing cycle causes both the climate and air quality to deteriorate.
Climate change brings more mould and pollen
After the problem of intensified air pollution, climate change also impacts air quality through more extreme weather, like flooding and other events. Increased flooding results in higher levels of mould in people’s homes. Also, rising temperatures, in both the oceans and on land, create warmer air. In tough news for allergy sufferers, warmer air produces more pollen.
Together people can change direction
In the video, Air Quality: A Tale of Three Cities, Dr. Bryan N. Duncan, a NASA scientist, reviews the history of air quality in Beijing, Los Angeles and Atlanta. It’s a fascinating story that offers some good reasons to be optimistic.
In the case of Los Angeles, for instance, some forms of air pollution have actually decreased in recent decades. Dr. Duncan cites the government’s requirement to install catalytic converters in all automobiles as one of the technologies that made cleaner air possible. Indeed, a car today is approximately twenty times less polluting than a car that rolled off the assembly line in 1960. For the car culture of Los Angeles, this proved to be air changing.
Protect your air
While the global community will determine the quality of air we all share, the Coway Airmega air purifier can remove up to 99.97 percent of particles measuring as small as 0.3 microns in your home. These particles include pollen, pollutants and other allergens that cause irritation. Please note that the percentage of particle removal is based on the True HEPA filter standard. The exact level of removal depends on indoor air quality and the operation of the individual unit.
Disclaimers
1 Airmega air purifiers have been proven to trap dust, pollen, dander in the air based on KCL(Korea Conformity Laboratories) testing. They have been tested according to the Korea Air Cleaning Association standard (SPS-KACA 002-132:2022 Modified) to measure the 0.01㎛ size of particle removal rate. It was tested on maximum airflow speed in normal room temperature and humidity conditions. The performance may vary in the actual living environment of customers. Tested with Airmega Aim, 50, 100, 150, Tower AP-1216L, Mighty AP-1512HH, MightyS AP-1512HHS, 200M, Icon, 230, 240, 250, 250S, 300, 300S, 350, 400, 400S, 450, ProX
2Our HEPA filter complies with IEST-RP-CC007 standards at speed level 1 as tested by SGS (Société Générale de Surveillance). SGS's test report only reflects SGS's evaluation of the sample and does not reflect the evaluation of the batch of goods from which the sample was taken. Tested with Airmega 100, 150, 160, Mighty AP-1512HH, MightyS AP-1512HHS, 200M, 230, 240, 250, 250S, 250 Art, 300, 300S, 350, 400, 400S, 450, ProX
3 Tested by KCL(Korea Conformity Laboratories) according to JEM 1467: 2015 condition, the concentration of acetic acid was proven to be reduced up to 99.5% in 60 minutes. Results may vary depending on actual environment. Tested with Airmega 150, Mighty AP-1512HH, 200M
4 Tested by KCL(Korea Conformity Laboratories) according to SPS-KACA002-132:2022, showed result of over 99.5% removal rate of common household gases including Ammonia, Acetaldehyde, Acetic acid, Formaldehyde, Toluene, Benzene, Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), and Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) within 30 minutes. Results may vary in different environments and not all odors or gas particles may be removed. Tested with Airmega MightyS AP-1512HHS, 250S, 300S, 400S, 350, 450
5 Test conducted using Coway Allergen filter media (5×5 cm) placed in a polyethylene bag. The allergen solution and sample were immersed in 2 mL of phosphate buffer (100 ng/mL) prior to the reaction and heat-sealed to specimen size. The reaction was maintained at 4°C for 24 hours. Nichinichi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. conducted the test using ELISA to measure allergen concentration. Results may vary in actual product usage environments. Tested with Airmega Mighty AP-1512HH, 200M
6 Removal rates of Ammonia (NH₃) and Hydrogen Sulfide (H₂S) were tested in a 1 m³ chamber under EL608:2023 conditions for 30 minutes. Gas Detector Tubes were used for measurement, and testing was conducted by KCL (Korea Conformity Laboratories). Results may vary in actual product usage environments. Tested with Airmega Mighty AP-1512HH, 200M
7 Reduction rates of Naphthalene, Sulfur Dioxide, and Nitrogen Dioxide were tested using the Airmega Mighty AP-1512HH in 1㎥ chamber, following JEM-1467:2015 standards. Tests were conducted by Intertek. Actual performance may vary depending on the living environment. Tested with Airmega Mighty AP-1512HH, 200M
9 Tested by KCL(Korea Conformity Laboratories) according to SPS-KACA002-132:2022. The test was conducted with Methyl mercaptan, Isovaleraldehyde, Isovaleric acid in a 1.0±0.1 m³ chamber with a test time of 60 minutes at (24±4)°C and (46±10)% Relative Humidity. A removal ratio of over 99.5% was achieved. Results may vary depending on the actual usage environment. Tested with Airmega 350, 450
10 Tested by the Guangzhou Institute of Microbiology, exposed the filter media to protein solutions for 24 hours under ISO 4333-2022 standard. The results showed strong reduction performance: >99.79% for pollen, >99.60% for dog allergen, >99.90% for cat allergen, and >99.80% for dust mites matter allergen. Actual results may vary depending on room size, airflow, and pollutant levels. Tested with Airmega 350, 450
11 Tested by KCL(Korea Conformity Laboratories) according to SPS-KACA002-132:2022. The test was conducted in a 1.0±0.1 m³ chamber for 60 minutes at (24±4)°C and (46±10)% Relative Humidity. A removal ratio of >99.5% was achieved for Formaldehyde and Toluene in 60 minutes. Results may vary depending on the actual usage environment. Tested with Airmega 350, 450
12 Tested by Intertek. The evaluation was conducted against designated test materials: Sulfur dioxide, Nitrogen dioxide, and Naphthalene. The test was performed in a sealed 1.0×1.0×1.0 m (1.0 m³) odor chamber at a test room temperature of (23±2)°C (measured between 23.6∼23.9°C) and a test room humidity of (45±5)% R.H. (measured between 40∼48)% Relative Humidity. It met the odor removal rate of ≥99.9% for Sulfur dioxide, Nitrogen dioxide, and Naphthalene. Results may vary depending on the actual usage environment. Tested with Airmega 350, 450
* Order Acceptance and Right to Cancel: The receipt of an order confirmation does not constitute Coway’s acceptance of an order. Coway reserves the right, at its sole discretion and at any time after receiving your order, to accept, decline, or cancel your order for any reason. If Coway cancels your order after you have already been billed, we will notify you via the email address provided and issue a full refund of any billed amounts immediately.
**Shipping Policy & Restrictions: Free standard ground shipping is available only for qualifying orders shipped to standard residential and commercial addresses within the Canadian provinces. Please note that we do not ship to P.O. Boxes. We reserve the right to exclude and cancel free shipping to the Canadian Territories (Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut), as well as certain remote locations or postal codes—including remote areas within British Columbia (BC)—that qualify as remote regions under carrier guidelines. In such cases, Coway reserves the right to cancel the order and issue a full refund.
