CIVIS Connect explores how citizens and scientists join forces for cleaner air

The first season of the Open Labs podcast series CIVIS Connect keeps on giving! Part of the CIVIS Waves podcast, the second episode is now available. Hosts Christèle Aubry and Robin Lebrun continue their conversation (in French) with Pierre Dornier, founder and director of the Brussels‑based association Les Chercheurs d’Air, to explore the societal impact of participatory research.  

Founded with the mission of improving air quality in Brussels, Les Chercheurs d’Air places citizen participation at the heart of its work. Through participatory research projects, residents are directly involved in measuring air pollution in their everyday environments — from streets and neighbourhoods to schools — helping to generate scientific data while raising awareness of an often invisible public health issue. 

Participatory research allows us to create new data on the quality of the air we breathe and to raise public awareness about air pollution in the Brussels region

Understanding the air we breathe 

One of the episode’s key insights lies in the motivations of participants. According to Dornier, citizens are driven less by activism than by curiosity and the desire for concrete answers about their immediate surroundings. 

“People want to know very concretely what they breathe in the street where they live, with their children, with their neighbours”, he says. 

While the results of these measurement campaigns often confirm well‑established scientific findings — such as higher pollution levels on major roads or in so‑called “street canyons” — their educational impact is significant. In schools, especially, participatory projects help make pollution visible and tangible, changing how pupils understand both environmental issues and science itself. 

“It shows that we can access and participate in an accessible science, and that science is not only something done in laboratories with acronyms”, Dornier reflects. “It demystifies science, and that’s a good thing”.  

From data to public debate 

The CIVIS Connect episode also addresses the complex relationship between participatory research and public decision‑making. While project results receive strong media coverage and are known to local elected officials, translating evidence into concrete policy measures remains slow and uneven. 

“It’s very difficult to measure the impact on political decisions”, Dornier notes, highlighting the importance of strategic communication — particularly when research findings are linked to current events — to keep air quality high on the public agenda.  

Science, society and the CIVIS mission 

The conversation concludes with a broader reflection on the role of participatory research in strengthening the links between science and society. By involving citizens directly, these projects foster civic engagement, collective learning and shared responsibility — values that lie at the heart of the CIVIS Open Labs.