BREATHING: Bewährte Verfahren zur Anpassung an den Klimawandel: Interregionaler Ansatz zur Verringerung der aufkommenden Verschmutzung durch Städte

The partners of the Interreg Italy-Austria BREATHING project met on 20 March 2025 in Treviso to address one of the most pressing challenges of our time: persistent air pollution in cities and surrounding areas, exacerbated by climate change. With a holistic and cross-border approach, BREATHING aims to develop tools and strategies to improve air quality and protect the health of citizens in urban areas bordering hilly and mountainous areas.

The problem: Rising global temperatures are altering the composition of the air we breathe, with effects such as different distribution of pollutants, faster degradation of substances due to photochemical effects, and changes in the use of plant protection products in rural areas. These phenomena lead to the emergence of new pollutants, which have been little studied to date and may pose a threat to public health.

The solution: BREATHING aims to provide adaptation solutions to address the problem of increased air pollution resulting from climate change in urban areas with the active involvement of city administrations. Through a holistic approach, the project will create a set of tools to support local administrations and specific target groups in predicting and monitoring climate-related changes in air quality and minimising their effects.

The project aims to gain in-depth knowledge of the climate and air quality in the cities of Treviso, Belluno and Innsbruck, with a particular focus on ultrafine particles and emerging pollutants. BREATHING will also study the effects of agriculture on air quality, providing guidelines and training for good agricultural practices.

The project is being carried out by a cross-border partnership consisting of: 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. The total budget for the project is €800,000.