Launch of the Institute for Sustainability, Health and Environment

The University of the West of England celebrates the launch of a new Research and Knowledge Exchange Institute, the Institute for Sustainability, Health and Environment (ISHE), that brings together the research expertise from three distinct areas of expertise for which UWE has become renowned.

The new Institute will work with over 100 organisations and agencies in its Sustainability, Health and Environment work and will be able to draw upon expertise from 32 Research Centres and over 600 programmes of study offered by UWE. The new Institute's expertise will cover public and environmental health; spatial and transport planning; leisure, tourism and society; sustainable and healthy communities; governance and democracy; air quality management; low carbon technology and management; environmental science; environmental justice; plant science; biomedicine, clinical and health services. ISHE will be Co-directed by Professor Jim Longhurst (Associate Dean in the Faculty of Environment and Technology, and Director of the Air Quality Management Resource Centre) and Judy Orme (Reader and Director of the Centre for Public Health Research in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences).

Professor Jim Longhurst explains, “We have noticed an increasing synergy in projects that blend health and the environment. The new Institute will enable us to strengthen our international reputation in these key research areas. These areas are critically important to society as we all strive towards a lower carbon lifestyle in the future.

Focusing on health and wellbeing in later life, a conference entitled 'Sustainable Futures in an Ageing World' will be held at UWE in September. For more details of the Institute visit http://www.uwe.ac.uk/research/ishe.

Rose and Mofoluso attend 44th IAPSC Conference

Rose and Mofoluso also attended the 44th Investigation of Air Pollution Standing Conference, at the School of African and Oriental Studies in London on Wednesday 11th June. The conference covered topics including emergency responses to incidents affecting air quality; transport; and LAQM, including the results of a recent report on biomass combustion in London. Copies of the presentations from the conference will shortly be available on the IAPSC website http://www.iapsc.org.uk/

Rose attends Bristol: Fit for the Future? Panel Discussion

To mark World Environment Day on 5th June, city leaders and environmental experts came together to discuss publicly what further action Bristol could take to respond to the environmental challenges of the 21st century. The discussion considered what government, business, the public and voluntary sectors, architects, developers and planners are doing and can do to help Bristol cope with climate change, tackle transport issues and congestion and create truly sustainable homes and communities. Rose attended the debate, along with representatives from local government, universities, businesses, community groups and the public. More information on the evening can be found here:
http://www.bristol.gov.uk/ccm/content/press-releases/2008/jun/green-capital-debate.en and the debate can also be viewed online as a webcast here: http://www.bristol.public-i.tv/site/index.php?l=en_GB

Rose Facilitates Table Discussion at Bristol Hothouse

Rose attended the Bristol Hothouse on 3rd June, and facilitated a discussion on sustainable waste management options for the city. The event, organised by Bristol City Council and supported by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment and E.ON UK, brought together professionals, designers and civic leaders to debate Bristol's ambition to be a sustainable city.

Rose attends UKCIP08 workshop

Rose attended a workshop on 2nd June in Taunton, on using the new UKCIP08 climate prediction scenarios. The workshop was run by the UK Climate Impacts Programme and hosted by the South West Climate Change Impacts Partnership. UKCIP08 will provide information and give probabilities of current and projected future climate change for the UK up to 2099, using the UK Met Office Hadley Centre scientists' latest understanding of how the climate system operates and how it might change in the future, to better quantify some of the uncertainties associated with climate modelling. It is hoped that the information provided by UKCIP08 will make users better informed to be able to assess the potential impacts of climate change and make robust adaptation decisions.

Tim Presents at 44th IAPSC Conference

Tim made a presentation on "Air Quality Management Areas in the UK" to the 44th Investigation of Air Pollution Standing Conference, at the School of African and Oriental Studies in London on Wednesday 11th June.  The presentation covered the growth in AQMA declarations in the United Kingdom since the establishment of the Local Air Quality Management process in 1997.  Apart from updates on the LAQM process other topics discussed included response and analysis of major pollution incidents, and presentations from the Highways Agency and DfT.  Copies of the presentations from the conference will shortly be available on the IAPSC website http://www.iapsc.org.uk/

Air Pollution 2009 - Call for papers

Wessex Institute of Technology, UK are calling for papers for presentation at the Seventeenth International Conference on Modelling, Monitoring and Management of Air Pollution. The conference will be held in Tallinn, Estonia on 20-22 July 2009.

Topics for presentation are:
- Air pollution modelling
- Energy and air quality
- Air quality management
- Urban air management
- Effects of air pollution on ecosystems
- Emission studies
- Historical air pollution and forensic studies
- Monitoring and measuring
- Global and regional studies
- Aerosols and particles
- Climate change and air pollution
- Indoor air pollution
- Environmental health effects
- Policy studies
- Techniques for atmospheric pollutant reduction
- Pollution prevention
- Pollution in developing countries

Click here to view the conference website, which has full details about the conference objectives, topics and submission requirements etc.

EU Policy news alert

The latest EU policy news alert thematic issue is on air quality and emissions trading. Click here for more details on the monthly issue and to find out more about the new alerts.

Simon to be ambassador for UWE at the Bristol Festival of Nature

Simon will be part of a team representing the University of the West of England at the Bristol Festival of Nature on 7-8th June 2008. The team will share the research tent with the University of Bristol where they will showcase some of the excellent environmental projects and research undertaken by both universities.

AQMRC bids farewell to Jo

After two years with AQMRC Jo is on her way home to NZ. Jo has made a big contribution to our work and we will miss her. Everyone in AQMRC wishes Jo well. Before returning home Jo is bravely taking to the roads of France and Italy and cycling from the Atlantic coast to Sicily. We wish her well on this exciting journey and look forward to getting postcards from along the route.

AQMRC submits 5 papers for Air Pollution 2008 conference

The AQMRC team have submitted 5 papers for the Wessex Institute of Technology Air Pollution 2008 conference, to be held in Skiathos, Greece, on 22-24 September 2008.
The paper details are as follows:

"The Development and Operation of the United Kingdom’s Air Quality Management Regime"
J.W.S. Longhurst, J.G. Irwin, T.J. Chatterton, E.T. Hayes, N.S. Leksmono and J.K. Symons

"Exploring the impact of shipping on coastal air quality: Is there a local air quality problem?"
J.K. Symons, S.T. Baldwin, T.J. Chatterton, E.T. Hayes, N.S. Leksmono, J.W.S. Longhurst

"Air pollution and management in the Niger Delta - emerging isues"
M.A., Fagbeja, T. Chatterton, J.W.S. Longhurst, J.O. Akinyede, and J.O. Adegoke

"Integrating local air quality and carbon management at a regional and local governance level: a case study of south west England"
S.T. Baldwin, M. Everard, E.T. Hayes, J.W.S. Longhurst, J.R.Merefield

"Are environmental health officers and transport planners in English local authorities working together to achieve air quality objectives?"
A.O. Olowoporoku, E. T. Hayes, N.S. Leksmono, J.W.S. Longhurst, G. P. Parkhurst

Invitation to: Not a Bore! Issues of tidal energy capture in the Severn Estuary

Publication by the Sustainable Development Commission of its report on Tidal Power in the UK in October 2007 has been followed by the government’s recent announcement of a Feasibility Study on Tidal Power Developments in the Severn Estuary and a call for evidence on the environmental and other implications of tidal power generation there.

Organised by the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce), the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA), the Severn Estuary Partnership and the Centre for Research in Environmental Sciences, UWE, this Science Café event provides a timely opportunity to explore the issues such a development would raise. What are the key issues and what are the impacts of developing tidal power in the Severn Estuary? What are your views on the options or the idea of harnessing energy from the estuary? Is this an appropriate way to reduce carbon emissions? What about the ecological impacts? Is this appropriate regional development?

The event will comprise of four short scene setting presentations exploring the engineering, legal and planning issues and the environmental implications of harnessing tidal power from the estuary. A general discussion will follow.

Come along to this event and share your views and ideas. The outcomes from this event will help shape the agenda of a larger Public Forum being planned for October of this year.

Invitation to:
Not a Bore! Issues of Tidal Energy Capture in the Severn Estuary
OneZone
Room 2E27UWE,
Frenchay Campus
6 – 7.30 pm Monday June 30th
(Campus map at http://www.uwe.ac.uk/maps/frenchay_map.shtml)

To Book a Place

This event is FREE of charge but please register by emailing Alison.Jack@uwe.ac.uk

Light refreshments will be provided by the organisers and a cash bar will be available.

Further information about the feasibility study can be found at
http://www.berr.gov.uk/energy/sources/renewables/explained/severntidalpower/page41473.html

AQMRC in the UWE news

Some of our work has recently been reported in the UWE bulletin. Click here to see AQMRC and other news from the University of the West of England.

Mofoluso to present paper at Postgraduate Researchers' Conference

Mofoluso submitted a paper for the Sixteenth International Conference on Modelling, Monitoring and management of Air Pollution (Air Pollution 2008 Conference) coming up 22-24 September 2008 in Skiathos, Greece. The paper is titled, 'Air pollution and management in the Niger Delta - emerging issues'. Further details of Mofoluso's research can be found here.
Mofoluso is also attending the 1st Postgraduate Researchers' Conference on Meeting Environmental Challenges in the Coastal region of Nigeria coming up 29-30 September, 2008 in Dundee, UK. The abstract from his paper titled, 'Applying remote sensing and GIS techniques to air quality and carbon management - a case study of gas flaring in the Niger Delta' has been accepted for presentation at the conference.