Indoor air quality at the climate-health nexus: the case for enforceable standards

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed a longstanding governance gap: most people spend much of their time indoors, yet indoor air quality remains far less regulated than outdoor air. Climate change is now worsening that gap by increasing the frequency and severity of wildfire smoke and heat-driven building closures, both of which degrade air quality in homes, schools, workplaces and other occupied spaces. Poor indoor air quality is therefore no longer only a building-performance issue; it is a climate-health problem with clear implications for infection control, chronic disease, cognitive performance and equity. The case for action is strengthened by growing evidence that the costs of inaction are substantial, while the benefits of better indoor environments are measurable. This perspective piece argues that indoor air quality should be governed through enforceable, performance-based standards with statutory force, beginning in settings where exposure is unavoidable and vulnerability is high. Australia is used as an illustrative case to show how monitoring, institutional responsibility and phased implementation could be built into a practical regulatory pathway.