Every breath you take… - Roberta Metsola

Back in my student days, an economics professor had introduced the demand-supply correlation by saying that all commodities are governed by that principle, except air. He explained this assertion by saying that air is exempt because the supply is infinite compared to the demand, and it is freely accessible toall equally.

One of my student friends reacted to this by mumbling “Not for long”… and was instantly dubbed a green tree-hugger by the professor for his pains.

While the quantity of available air is not yet being threatened, quality is something else altogether. Pollution has taken its toll on air quality, meaning that we are regularly inhaling toxins and allergens together with the oxygen that we need for life.

The quality of life, and hence property prices, in urban and residential zones, is also assessed on the basis of air quality. Clean air now being in such short supply, has become a marketable commodity in its own right proving my green university friend’s prediction correct. Hence my choice of title, the name of the famous song by that other green star of my generation, Sting.

Pollution is something that affects us all to some degree, but it has a much higher impact...