Building on field research conducted during my Ph.D., which focused on urban natures and – in particular – post-industrial, riverside Turin (Italy), the presentation discusses urban political ecology and atmosphere literature, considered as two different, yet potentially complementary, fields of research. I will examine how an atmospheric-based critique of processes of decay can determine an interpretation of the dynamics of environmental degradation and – more broadly speaking – of urban environmental changes. I will conclude by offering some reflections on the extent to which the political ecology of atmospheres has helped me to formulate a different language, through which to capture the tenacious effects of processes of decay and territorial stigma.