Who are Air?
August 2024
by Dr. Jake Robinson
“Air” has many faces.
From a Western science perspective, air commonly refers to the mixture of gases that make up the Earth's atmosphere. This includes gases like nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and trace amounts of other gases. In a human context, air represents the mixture of gases we breathe to sustain life, which primarily consists of oxygen and nitrogen.
In many Indigenous cultures, the natural elements, including air, hold deep spiritual, cultural, and ecological significance. The elements of nature, including air, are often associated with spirits or deities. Air may be seen as a source of life and a carrier of messages. Air is vital for aerobic life, hence the term breath of life.
The act of breathing is connected to the life force, and rituals and ceremonies may involve breathing practices. Indigenous cultures also emphasise a deep interconnection with the natural world, and air, as one of the natural elements, is considered a fundamental part of this web of life.
Air has a dynamic ecology. Indeed, it’s challenging to imagine a more dynamic medium. One of the fundamental ecological processes in the atmosphere is gas exchange. We inhale the exhalations of plants and diverse microorganisms as they inhale ours––the most magnificent occurrence of unconscious reciprocity.
Cyanobacteria in the ocean gave rise to much of the oxygen in the atmosphere, and some now think phage viruses inoculated these bacteria with the genetic machinery required to photosynthesise. So, in addition to plants, we have microbes (even viruses) to thank for the air we breathe.
The air contains diverse microbial communities of bacteria, viruses, archaea, algae, fungi, protozoa and tiny animals, along with pollen, organic compounds and spores galore. Microbes and their by-products in the air play roles in nutrient cycling, pollination, and cloud formation, and influence the health of humans and non-humans alike.
The dynamic ecology of air is essential for the migration and dispersal of various life-forms, including birds, insects, microbes and plants. Air currents play a vital role in these movements, influencing the distribution of species and the establishment of new communities and ecosystems.
Air currents erode, transport and deposit, eternally shaping the planet’s landscapes. But it’s not just physical or chemical entities (organisms, soil particles, odours) that air transports.
Air molecules also play a role in transmitting sound. The vibration of air molecules and their ability to pass on these vibrations to neighbouring molecules is how sound energy is transmitted through a given space. Air also carries rich organic odours that nourish our senses and allow bees and other insects to locate flowers, thus instigating a great multi-species collaboration, a cycle that affects all of us.
Some estimate that with each breath, we inhale more air molecules (25 sextillion or 25,000,000,000,000,000,000,000) than there are grains of sand on all the world’s beaches. We each inhale up to 15,000 litres of air every day, exposing our ‘walking ecosystems’ to an array of invisible biodiversity.
We often speak of air in terms of its quality. Indeed, high levels of pollution and pathogens fill the air in many places and cause (preventable) diseases. This happens when we fail to respect air. It happens when we fail to foster kinship with the natural world; when we “bite the hand that feeds us”.
It can be challenging to define ‘healthy air’. However, a good starting point is promoting air characterised by very low pollution and pathogen levels and the presence of beneficial microbiota and other biogenic compounds, such as phytoncides.
Evidence shows an environmental microbiome with specific characteristics can be considered ‘health-promoting’. For instance, higher alpha diversity, along with immune-priming taxa, such as Gammaproteobacteria and other functionally important microbial ‘old friends’ (e.g., some species of Streptomyces, Lactobacilli, Bifidobacteria), have been shown to have salutogenic effects.
The microbiome of the air (the aerobiome) is primarily “fed” by the soil and vegetation. We can shape these airborne communities in beneficial ways through ecosystem restoration and practices that promote soil health.
“Healthy air” in this regard is not equally distributed. While air should nourish life, the substances it now carries have, in many cases, become a detriment to the wellbeing of humans and non-humans alike. Communities located near industrial facilities, transportation hubs, or areas with high pollutant emissions are more likely to experience poor air quality. These areas are often home to lower-income human communities that may not have the resources to relocate––and they shouldn’t have to.
The people who bear the brunt of air pollution are often those least responsible for tainting the air with the toxic chemicals and particles that drive the health issues.
Air should be a bestower of life, a cradle of existence. While it should nourish us, we have a responsibility to nourish it in return, through conscious reciprocity. This path requires an end to pollution and a new era of ecosystem restoration.
