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Individuals can directly impact air pollution, and French energy, transport and environmental research and training company IFP Energies Nouvelles (IFPEN) developed an app to show just how that can be done. Geco air uses a smartphone’s GPS tracking system and the app’s pollution calculation algorithm to give each journey a pollutant points rating. At the start of a journey, users indicate which mode of transport will be used. Once the app is running, it tallies up the amounts of CO2, fine particle, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and fine particle emissions created by that particular trip.

The app also recognizes different styles and speeds of driving and provides suggestions for ways to reduce emissions. At the end of each day, an overall pollutant point score is provided, and users can track their journeys and scores over periods of time. The IFPEN team hopes that by showing how small changes can make big differences in the amount of air pollution produced by an individual, awareness will spread and continue to strengthen networks of environmentally-aware travelers.

Projects around the world are finding ways to reduce transport-related air pollution. An intra-company carpool app recently won a sustainability award, and electric smart scooters are one of the latest urban ride-sharing innovations. What kind of incentives could encourage cities to attempt to make all transport carbon-neutral?