Fine Dust Alert in Munich

On June 10, 2025, a headline caused a stir: According to a live ranking by Swiss air quality company IQAir, Munich temporarily had the highest air pollution in the world – even surpassing megacities like New Delhi. What’s behind this fine dust alert, what does it mean for our health, and how can we protect our cities in the long term?

Photo: FOCUS 10.06.2025

How Do Such Extreme Fine Dust Levels Occur?

The cause of Munich’s record values was extraordinary: Massive wildfires in Canada released huge amounts of soot into the atmosphere.

“The massive wildfires in Canada have reached Germany – or at least their soot. The air in Germany is full of it. Not only are the fine dust monitoring stations sounding the alarm, you can even see it with the naked eye.”

Carried by the jet stream and a stable Azores high, these fine dust particles traveled all the way to Europe, resulting in “thick air” that was visible to the naked eye. Monitoring stations sounded the alarm, visibility deteriorated significantly – and for several hours, Munich topped the global air pollution rankings.

Health Impacts: An Invisible Danger for Everyone

Fine dust is insidious because it penetrates deep into the lungs and can trigger inflammation. The health risks range from respiratory diseases and cardiovascular problems to impairments in cognitive performance. Those most at risk are:

• Children,
• the elderly and
• people with pre-existing conditions.

Photo: Izzy Edey from Unsplash

Weather Patterns as Amplifiers

Such extreme events show: Weather patterns play a crucial role in air quality. High-pressure systems, like the Azores high, can transport pollutants over long distances and “trap” them in cities. Only the next rainfall or a change in weather brings relief – until then, the burden remains high. Learn more about how weather patterns influence air pollution in our blog post “Red Alert: Dirty Air Alarm”.

We Need More Than Weather Luck: Sustainable Solutions Required

Such extreme events are on the rise: Studies show that climate change is making weather extremes like heatwaves, wildfires, and the associated fine dust pollution more frequent and intense, as reported e.g. by WWF and tagesschau.de. Even if individual weather patterns pass, the problem persists – and will intensify in the future.

Fine dust disasters are not isolated incidents. In addition to global events like wildfires, local emissions from traffic, industry, and heating further worsen the situation. Waiting for the next rain is not enough – we need innovative, sustainable solutions for permanently clean air.

With innovations that maximize nature’s capabilities, we create healthy urban oases – regardless of the weather.

Photos: GCS

Green City Solutions addresses exactly this: With biotechnological innovations like CityTree, WallBreeze or CityBreeze, we bring living, filtering plant walls into urban spaces. They reduce fine dust, cool the environment, and create green oases in the heart of the city. In this way, we protect health, climate and quality of life – every single day.

What now?

The fine dust burden in Munich is a wake-up call: Weather patterns can massively deteriorate air quality in the short term, but the real solution lies in sustainable, green innovations.