The problem of emergencies will not leave humanity as long as it exists, and therefore it is necessary to at least create conditions under which it is possible to reduce the risks of injuries, diseases and deaths of people who are in the emergency zone. This can be achieved by raising awareness of the nature of the emergency, the hazardous substances that are released in connection with it. Theoretical analysis of various remote means of assessing the impact of emergencies of man-made areas on the ecological state of the atmospheric air of the surrounding areas. It has been found that the use of remote sensing equipment greatly simplifies the procedure of operational monitoring of the environment during emergencies, as well as contributes to the health of professionals. A comparison of different remote means of environmental monitoring of air quality was performed: In particular, stationary automatic stations, mobile automatic stations, probes, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were compared. It is proposed to use UAVs as remote means of operational monitoring of air quality. The functional scheme of UAV system implementation for the needs of operative ecological monitoring is offered. The legal features of the use of unmanned aerial vehicles as remote means of monitoring air quality during emergencies are analyzed.