More efforts required to reduce ozone pollution in Europe

Ground-level ozone is one of the most harmful air pollutants in Europe today. A new report by the European Environment Agency (EEA) shows that despite efforts to reduce ozone pollution, in 2010 levels continued to exceed the long-term objective established in EU legislation to protect human health. EU Member States will also face difficulties in meeting the target value, applicable as of 2010.

Ozone is not directly emitted to the atmosphere but formed in complex photochemical reactions from ozone precursor gases (nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, methane and non-methane volatile organic compounds). Its production depends on meteorological conditions such as solar intensity and temperature. Elevated levels of ground-level ozone reduce agricultural crop yields and corrode infrastructure and cultural heritage. It can also cause health problems and lead to premature deaths.

The new EEA report ‘Air pollution by ozone across Europe during summer 2010’ shows that the long-term objective to protect human health (maximum daily eight-hour mean concentration of 120 µg/m3) was exceeded in all EU Member States and in most of the other reporting European countries at least once during summer 2010. As in previous years, the most widespread concentrations occurred in the Mediterranean area. However, areas of western and central Europe experienced higher ozone concentrations than in 2009.

Preliminary results show that 17 EU Member States (Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Spain) are facing difficulties in meeting the target value for protecting human health. In all these countries, the maximum daily eight-hour mean ozone concentration of 120 µg/m3 was exceeded on more than 25 days during summer 2010.

Other key findings
For the first time in four years, in 2010 the information threshold (a one-hour average ozone concentration of 180 µg/m3) was exceeded in northern Europe. The average number of threshold exceedances increased slightly in north-western, central and eastern Europe.
The alert threshold (a one-hour average ozone concentration of 240 µg/m3) was exceeded 44 times in nine EU Member States with most exceedances in northern Italy and northern Portugal.
Summer 2010 was characterised by a long period with numerous exceedances during the warm sunny weather experienced between 24 June and 22 July. This episode accounted for approximately 85 % of the total number of exceedances of the information threshold, 64 % of exceedances of the alert threshold and 52 % of exceedances of the long-term objective.


Target value for the protection of human health
Directive 2008/50/EC on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe sets out the ‘target value for the protection of human health’. Specifically, as of 2010 the maximum daily eight-hour mean concentration of ozone should not exceed 120 µg/m3 on more than 25 days per calendar year, averaged over three years. It further specifies that the target value will first be calculated using validated data from 2010 and following years. Therefore it will not be possible to assess exceedance of the target value fully until data for 2010, 2011 and 2012 have been compiled and validated.

Ozone pollution – not only a local air quality issue
In Europe, ozone concentrations in a particular country are also influenced by emissions in other northern hemisphere countries and by poorly regulated sectors such as international shipping and aviation. Thus, ozone pollution is not only a local air quality issue but also a hemispheric and global problem.

Data sources on emissions of ozone precursor gases
The EEA publishes emissions data on the air pollutants that contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone, available in several data viewers: NEC Directive viewer (NOx, NMVOCs), LRTAP Convention viewer (CO) and the greenhouse gas data viewer (CH4). Updated information on the trends in man-made emissions of ozone precursors NOx and NMVOCs are also available in the recently published NEC Directive status report 2010.

Tim talking at "Green-Talk" in Bristol

Tim has been invited to give a talk at the Bristol “Green Talks” at the Arnolfini on 14^th June.

 

The talks, in the style of the TED lectures, are a series of 8 minute presentations around issues of the environment, climate change and sustainability.

 

More information can be found at: http://www.climate-works.co.uk/projects-clients/green-talk/

Tim on UKPHA Integration Management Panel

Tim has been elected on to a management panel to oversee the incorporation of the UK Public Health Association into the Faculty of Public Health.  The position represents an important recognition of the environmental factors that contribute to the health of the nation, and comes at a very important point in the histories of both the UKPHA and the Faculty.

Tim Speaking at Royal Society for Chemistry

On Tuesday 7^th June, Tim will be presenting a paper on “Air Quality: Breaking Out of the Silo” at a workshop on “A trans-disciplinary approach to improved local air quality: what are the current problems for integration and coherence?” at  the Royal Society for Chemistry.

Tim to present at RSC Air Quality Workshop

Tim Chatterton will be presenting at an Air Quality Workshop hosted and organised by the Environment, Sustainability and Energy Division (ESED) of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) on Tuesday 7th June. The theme of the workshop is "A trans-disciplinary approach to improved local air quality: what are the current problems for integration and coherence?" and will also include contributions from Duncan Laxen (AQC), Steve Moorcroft (AQC), Peter Fallon (Birmingham CC), Gary Fuller (KCL), Paul Monks (AQEG) and Sarah Honour (Defra).

EPUK National Students and Young Professionals Competition 2011 - June 28th - Bristol

History of the competition
In 2005 the National Society for Clean Air South West Division (now Environmental Protection UK South West Division) held a day to showcase student research projects on air quality management by students at the University of the West of England (UWE). In 2006 and 2007 this special day was opened up to postgraduate students at educational institutions throughout the South West and the subject area widened to include all environmental issues within the Society’s remit. In 2009 the competition was opened up to students from anywhere in the UK and attracted a wide range of entries.

This year’s competition
Continuing the evolution of this competition, entries are now being invited from both postgraduate students and any young professionals throughout the UK (e.g. consultants, local authority officers etc.) working on any aspect of air quality, noise, contaminated land, climate change or other environmental issue relevant to Environmental Protection UK’s work. This event provides a unique platform for students and young environmental professionals to engage with and disseminate their research or an interesting project to a variety of environmental practitioners. Entrants should be students or recently qualified professionals with no more than 5 years professional experience on the date of the event.

Entry
Entrants need to send an abstract on their subject (200 words maximum) to Peter Fryer, Environmental Protection UK South West Division Secretary, c/o CREATE Centre, Smeaton Road, Bristol, BS1 6XN or email peter.fryer@bristol.gov.uk Shortlisted entrants will then be sent full details and invited to attend the National Student and Young Professional Presentation Day on Tuesday 28th June 2011 where they will be asked to make a short presentation in a friendly, informal environment. Judging by a panel of experts from academia, local authorities and industry takes place on the day.

Shortlisted entrants will receive a free one year subscription to Environmental Protection UK’s new online resource, Essential Environment Online and one year’s membership of the charity. In addition the winner will receive a certificate, £100 and the opportunity to present the paper at the autumn regional conference in front of an audience of professionals. The precis of each of the shortlisted papers will be published in EPUK’s Briefing.

Entries to be received no later than Friday 10th June 2011

Selected participants will be notified by Friday 17th June 2011.

The Students and Young Professionals Presentation Day will take place at UWE on Tuesday 28th June 2011 (Room 1R021 in R Block UWE -10.30am – 15.30pm). Lunch will be provided for all who attend.

For further information contact Peter Fryer direct at peter.fryer@bristol.gov.uk. Please circulate this to all students and young professionals carrying out environmental research.

Festival of Ideas 31 May 2011

Festival of Ideas
Bjørn Lomborg
Putting Global Warming in Perspective
At-Bristol, 31 May 2011, 18.30-20.30

Bjørn Lomborg believes that global warming is real, man-made and will have a serious impact on humans and the environment toward the end of this century. In a range of books (including The Skeptical Environmentalist and Cool It), articles and now a film, Lomborg argues that we need to look at the costs and benefits of the proposed measures. He demonstrates that drastic, here-and-now measures are the worst way to spend money as climate change is a 100-year problem that cannot be fixed in ten years. Instead we should focus on the smartest solutions to the problems that the world faces, whether we're dealing with climate change, communicable diseases, malnutrition, or agricultural subsidies. If we want to help the world to the greatest extent we can, we do need to fix climate, but should do so smartly and effectively, and we should also remember there are many other important things we can focus on right now, like micronutrient supplementation and fortification, community nutrition programmes, expanded vaccination coverage for children, elimination of financial barriers to education, improving agricultural technology that would do amazing things at very low cost. He presents his case and then debates it with local experts including Juliet Davenport (CEO and founder of renewable electricity supplier, Good Energy), Professor Jim Longhurst (University of the West of England) and Peter Madden, Director, Forum for the Future.

Biography:
Bjørn Lomborg was named as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2004. Foreign Policy and Prospect magazines listed him as the world's 14th most influential intellectual in 2005. He is the author of the bestselling The Skeptical Environmentalist (CUP, 2001) which sold over 100,000 copies worldwide and regularly appears in the media. His most recent book is Smart Solutions to Climate Change: Comparing Costs and Benefits. http://www.lomborg.com/

How to book:
Price: £7.20 / £5.60. Contact At-Bristol, on: 0845 4586 499, book online, or visit in person. Please note there is a 10% charge for online bookings.

AQMRC present ECO Stars draft evaluation

Jo and Tim presented the draft conclusions and recommendations of their recent evaluation of the ECO Stars fleet recognition scheme to members of the South Yorkshire Steering Group in Barnsley last Wednesday 6th April. The draft report and presentation were very well received and generated a lot of useful points which have subsequently been brought into the final report submitted yesterday.

AQMRC workshop at EPUK

Tim and Jo held a workshop at the EPUK Spring Workshop in Rugby last Tuesday 5th April. The theme of the workshop was "Optimising the 'win-wins' - integrating air quality and climate change plans. The workshop was well-attended and provoked a good deal of thought and discussion about the best ways of integrating air quality and climate change through communication with stakeholders, both obvious and not so obvious, to achieve common goals. If you would like more advice on achieving integrated air quality action plans and climate change strategies, please email us at aqmrc@uwe.ac.uk.

Jim and Dotun participated in a University Of Lagos Seminar on Air Quality Management Framework

The Air Quality Management Resource Centre (AQMRC) was invited to participate in a specially convened seminar on ‘Prospects for Air Quality and Carbon Management in Nigeria’. This seminar was part of an existing strategic partnership between the University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol and University of Lagos (UNILAG), Nigeria, in creating more research collaborations and funding opportunities towards environmental policy development. The seminar was therefore aimed at facilitating discussion towards a shift in policy, practice and governance of air quality and carbon management in Nigeria.
Jim and Dotun gave five invited presentations at this seminar which was held at the University of Lagos, UNILAG on Tuesday 22 February 2011. The seminar was attended by more than 60 participants during the morning and afternoon workshops. The participants comprised of academic and research staffs, including postgraduate students from the faculties of science, engineering and social sciences.
The presentations by Jim highlighted the lessons of air quality management framework in the UK, and the expertise of AQMRC in facilitating such framework at the local, national and international levels. Particular attention was drawn to the involvement of AQMRC in developing South African national air quality management framework. Dotun gave a presentation on “the case for national air quality management framework in Nigeria” which provided an overview of existing evidence from studies on the state of urban air pollution in major cities in Nigeria. The presentations initiated dialogue with the participants on the capacity and capability development for monitoring and modelling air pollution in Nigeria.
There is substantial enthusiasm from the participants at this seminar to work together in various capacities towards developing effective air quality management framework in Nigeria. It was agreed that the summary of the programmes of actions agreed during the seminar should be widely distributed in order to promote further interests and actions.

Tim invited to Indian Institute of Technology - Madras

Whilst in India, Tim has been invited to spend 3 days at the Indian Institute of Technology in Chennai. Tim will be giving two departmental lectures presenting UWE's work on Air Quality, and Energy and Climate Change. He will also be spending time with lecturers, researchers and students from a number of research groups in the Department of Civil Engineering in order to develop a better understanding of air quality and climate change policies in India, and particularly how these interact with the rapid development pathway of the country.

Historical Climate Records Workshop

Tim is currently attending an Arts and Humanities Research Council funded workshop on historical climate change records hosted by the Centre for Contemporary Studies at the Indian Institute for Science in Bangalore.

The interdisciplinary workshop is bringing together researchers from history, the social sciences and arts, and climate science to try and develop a strategy for the digitisation and dissemination of the British Library's 9 miles of records from the India Office.

As many contemporary climate and weather records do not extend back far beyond 1850 - measurements and observations taken by sea-farers, plantation owners, botanical surveyors, medics, and other 'characters' from the 17th and 18th centuries can provide access to otherwise unavailable information climatic conditions around the globe. However, the arts, humanities and social sciences need to play a vital role in determining the contexts in which the measurements were made, and therefore there likely accuracy, as well as finding a wider set of uses for them beyond their use in historical climate reconstructions

Tim Speaking at Bristol University

Tim has been invited to give a presentation on Tuesday 22nd February at Bristol University as part of the BUST (Bristol Uni. Sustainability Team) "Climate of Change" seminar series.

Other people presenting in the series include Tony Juniper (ex-Friends of the Earth), Peter Harper (Centre for Alternative Technology) and Malcolm Sheppard (Sustrans).

For more details see http://bust.2rail.com/content/speakerseries2011

AQMRC win ECO-Stars Evaluation Contract

AQMRC have been awarded a contract to undertake the evaluation of South Yorkshire’s Eco-Stars (Efficient and Cleaner Operations) Fleet Recognition Scheme

The scheme was set up by the South Yorkshire Local Transport Plan partners supported by Travel South Yorkshire and NHS Barnsley. The scheme was formally launched on 20^th January 2009 with the aim of improving air quality.

The ECO Stars Fleet Recognition Scheme is a free, voluntary scheme designed to provide recognition, guidance and advice to operators of goods vehicles, buses and coaches across South Yorkshire. ECO Stars rates individual vehicles and the fleet’s overall road transport operation using star rating criteria, to recognise levels of operational and environmental performance. Each member signing up to the scheme receives a tailor-made ‘Road Map’ specific for their organisation, detailing suggested actions to help improve their environmental performance.

By the end of 2010, members of the ECO Stars Scheme were operating about 5,000 vehicles in and around South Yorkshire.

19th International Conference on Air Pollution 2011 - abstracts due

The 19th International Conference on Air Pollution 2011, organised by Wessex Institute of Technology, UK and sponsored by WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment, will be held on 19th-21st September 2011 in Malta.

View the conference website, which has full details about the conference objectives, topics and submission requirements at: http://www.wessex.ac.uk/air2011rem3.html

Presenters will be invited to submit an extended version of their paper to the International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning, edited by the Wessex Institute.

Abstract Submission
Submit an abstract via the conference website: http://www.wessex.ac.uk/air2011rem3.html or contact the Conference Secretariat below.
Conference Topics
• Air pollution modelling
• Air quality management
• Urban air management
• Emissions studies
• Monitoring and measuring
• Global and regional studies
• Aerosols and particles
• Climate change and air pollution
• Indoor air pollution
• Pollution prevention
• Economics of air pollution control
• Innovative technologies
• Emission reduction strategies
• Health effects
• Natural emissions

Conference Secretariat
Claire Shiell, Conference Coordinator, Air Pollution 2011
Wessex Institute of Technology, Ashurst Lodge, Ashurst
Southampton, SO40 7AA
Telephone: 44 (0) 238 029 3223 Fax: 44 (0) 238 029 2853
Email: cshiell@wessex.ac.uk

Tim giving keynote presentation at workshop in Delhi

Tim is currently representing AQMRC at a UKIERI (UK-India Education and Research Initiative) workshop on Transport, Land Use Strategies and Technology Interventions for

Urban Air Quality Management hosted by the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi.  Tim will be giving a keynote presentation on “Successes and Failures of Air Quality Management in Europe:  What lessons can be learnt?” as well as leading a workshop on Air Quality Action Planning.

 

Whilst in India, he will also be attending meetings with the British Council, RCUK, the Central Pollution Control Board and Delhi Traffic Police.

Tim selected for Climate Change Workshop in Bangalore

Tim has been selected by the Arts and Humanities Research Council to attend a Workshop on South Asian Historical Records and Climate, at the Divecha Centre for Climate Change, Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore on 4^th and 5^th March.

 

The Workshop will be based around the recent release of records from the India Office by the British Library.  Climatic conditions in India were systematically recorded in the form of official meteorological observations in India from the nineteenth century, though records exist for the earlier period in the form of ships’ logs or the daily weather records kept by missionaries. The India Office Records contain information on instruments and methods of observation; observatory operations including meteorological observations, tidal observations, magnetic operations, astronomical observations (general observations, transits, eclipses and star studies); rainfall; ozone; extreme weather events (including hurricanes, storms, floods and cyclones).

 

The aims of this workshop are to:

·       Bring together academics from a range of disciplines , and curators of collections, from South Asia and the UK;

·       Share knowledge of relevant sources in the British Library and in India, in both libraries and archives;

·       Discuss the nature of the contextual material available and approaches for its interrogation;

·       Recommend sources in India and the British Library for enquiry to support research collaborations;

·       Develop interdisciplinary research collaborations based on the sources identified in India and the BL, including those listed in Science and the changing environment in India 1780-1920: a guide to sources in the India Office Records.

 

Jim and Dotun to present at the Seminar on Air Quality and Carbon Management in Nigeria

Drawing on the experience and expertise of AQMRC in undertaking similar framework for the South African Government, this seminar, hosted by the Faculty of Science, University of Lagos, will facilitate discussion towards a shift in policy, practice and governance of air quality and carbon management in Nigeria. It will also build on the existing strategic partnership between the University of Lagos and the University of the West of England, Bristol in creating more research collaborations and funding opportunities towards environmental policy development.

Date: Tuesday, 22 February 2011
Time: 10.30-16.00
Venue: Faculty of Science, Board Room, University of Lagos, Akoka, Nigeria

Tim is Heat@UWE HotHouse Low Carbon Champion

On Thursday 13^th January, Tim was invited to the HEAT@UWE Hot House event http://www.uwe.ac.uk/research/heat/events/hothouse.shtml to act as “Low-Carbon Futures Champion”. 

 

Unable to restrain himself, he also got involved in the development of the research concepts and the project that his team came up with (Greening Building Cultures – developed with Cities Research Centre, the WHO Collaborating Centre on Healthy Cities and the Construction and Property Research Centre) came first in the electronic voting. 

New publication

Another new publication from the AQMRC:

M.J. Ross-Jones & J.W.S. Longhurst, Managing Air Quality at the Local Level: a case study. Int. J. Sus. Dev. Plann. Vol. 5, No. 3 (2010) 223–237.

AQMRC welcomes international delegates to LAQM training session

This Friday (14th January) the AQMRC will be holding the next in their successful series of Air Quality and Carbon Management CPD courses: Introduction to Local Air Quality Management. Registered delegates include local authorities in the UK, but also three delegates from the Osun State Environmental Protection Agency in Nigeria. There are still places available; if you would like to attend, please register your details online. Further information about this, and other sessions in the series, is available on the training pages of the AQMRC website.

Rhondda site visit

Jo Barnes will be visiting Rhondda, South Wales, this week to attend an initial meeting and site visit for the Detailed/Further Assessment that AQMRC was recently awarded by Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council.

Dube Aerotropolis site visit

Dr Enda Hayes and Rose Bailey, from the AQMRC, and their colleague in the Department for Geography and Environmental Management, Dr Chad Staddon, are visiting the site of the Dube Aerotropolis near Durban this week. AQMRC has been appointed to assist Dube Tradeport and Tongaat Hulett Developments to prepare a Framework for Sustainability to input into the preparation of the Dube Aerotropolis Regional Development Strategy. This initial site visit will enable the team to see for themselves the scope of the project and allow them to initiate baseline calculations to assist in creating this major new low-carbon development.

AQMRC leading on the Environmental Technologies iNet

AQMRC is playing a leading role in a major new initiative to support the low carbon high skills future of the South West economy. The Environmental Technologies iNet, led by UWE, is a three-year, £2 million project assisting environmental goods and services businesses in the South West to innovate their products and services faster, improve their competitiveness and market awareness, and engage with a range of routes to market. ERDF will fund c£1 million, the South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) will provide c. £500,000 match funding, with a further £500,000 match coming from the delivery partners: UWE, University of Bristol, University of Exeter, RegenSW and Bristol City Council. The project will target 250 high growth potential environmental technology and services SMEs and provide them each with a customised programme of business assistance, primarily focusing on four subsectors of renewable energy, waste management, sustainable transport and sustainable construction. The iNet will address many of the disconnects hampering the development of these subsectors including the fragmented relationships between the companies, agencies and universities; the inefficiencies in knowledge and technology transfer; the slow sharing of best practice and business intelligence and the poor connection to international markets for investors, customers and partners. The iNet will create a focal point for the sector, directly supporting businesses, facilitating the linkages between ideas, technology, expertise and commercialisation, and improving international connectivity. Prof Jim Longhurst led the Environmental iNet bid and is the UWE project manager, and Dr Enda Hayes has been seconded on a part-time basis to the iNet as the Business Support Manager.

Mo attends GIS training in Germany

Mofoluso recently visited Infoterra, located in Immenstaad, Germany. The visit provided opportunity for hands-on experience with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Satellite Image Processing and Applications, with specific emphasis on applications to emissions monitoring and inventorying. High resolution TerraSAR-X images were used to identify point, line and area sources of air pollutants within the Niger Delta. Emission stacks were also identified from the satellite images. The techniques of estimating stack heights from TerraSAR-X was demonstrated. This is particularly useful for data gathering over cloudy and inaccessible regions. The experience will form an invaluable asset to his PhD research, especially in the area of data gathering, identifying sources of emissions for emissions inventorying, and estimating stack heights useful for dispersion modelling. Click here to access Mo’s research page.

Dotun’s PhD graduation ceremony

Congratulations to Dotun Olowoporoku who received his PhD award at the UWE 2010 Award Ceremony on 17th November 2010 held in Bristol Cathedral. Dotun was also the 2010 recipient of the Dr Nurul Leksmono Prize for the most outstanding international PhD thesis on the subject of air quality, carbon management or environmental management. The Prize was instituted for UWE international students in memory of former AQMRC Research Fellow, the late Dr Nurul Leksmono. Dotun is pictured here reflecting wistfully on his three year studentship. Click here to access Dotun’s research page.

Rhondda bid success

AQMRC have recently been awarded a 15-month contract with Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council to undertake a Detailed and Further Assessment at Glyncoch, near Pontypridd. AQMRC is pleased to collaborate with Enviro Technology Ltd and Advance Environmental to assist RCTCBC with the monitoring, modelling and source apportionment of PM10 in this prestigious project. Jo Barnes will project manage this exciting new activity of AQMRC.

IIT Visit

AQMRC were delighted to welcome esteemed colleagues from the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi and Madras. Professor Mukesh Khare (IITD) and Dr Shiva Nagendra (IITM) met with AQMRC’s Jo Barnes and Dr Dotun Olowoporoku (pictured) to discuss development of an air quality management framework for cities in India. Professor Longhurst said “This is a very exciting opportunity to progress our links with colleagues in India and to share our experiences gained of managing air quality in the UK.” This project builds upon a long standing cooperation between AQMRC and IITD and will see AQMRC staff attend a seminar in Delhi in February 2011.

AQMRC CPD training success continues

Following the success of this year’s Air Quality and Carbon Management CPD courses, AQMRC is pleased to announce that the training opportunities will continue into 2011. The next session will be Introduction to Local Air Quality Management on 14th January followed by Introduction to Carbon Management on 8th February. The full schedule of courses is available on the AQMRC website and you can book your place online. Book three or more courses to receive 15% discount!

Sue Duffy – the legacy of a legend!!

Sue finally called time on her UWE career and officially retired on the 8th of December 2010 after working as the AQMRC Administrator for the last five years. Sue will be truly missed by her AQMRC colleagues but also, as illustrated by the exceptionally large turnout at her leaving party, by everyone within FET. Sue was not just our administrator but also our organiser, conscience, agony aunt, epic tea and coffee maker, surrogate mother and willing partner in mischief!! Sue is a remarkable lady, colleague and friend who will be missed by all. Sue is pictured here receiving one of her leaving presents of art materials to kick-start her new career as a world-famous artist!

AQMRC chosen to provide support to Dube Aerotropolis, Durban, South Africa in developing a Framework for Sustainability

AQMRC has been appointed to assist Dube Tradeport and Tongaat Hulett Developments to prepare a Framework for Sustainability as input into the preparation of the Dube Aerotropolis Regional Development Strategy. This exciting multi-disciplinary project brings together many Faculty of Environment and Technology colleagues including Dr Enda Hayes (Project Manager), Prof Jim Longhurst, Dr Tim Chatterton, Ms Jo Barnes and Ms Rose Bailey from AQMRC, other ISHE colleagues including Dr Sarah Hills, Dr Ian Smith, Dr Chad Staddon and Dr Nevil Quinn and external expertise from Visiting Research Fellow Dr Mark Everard. The project team will advise on sustainable development guidelines for the land use and infrastructural framework in the vicinity of the King Shaka International Airport, while supporting the client’s vision of working towards carbon and water neutrality for the area. The Dube Aerotropolis covers a radius of approximately 15 km around the recently opened King Shaka International Airport within the KwaDukuza Municipality north of the city of Durban. AQMRC will provide specialist advice on carbon emissions and management in the Aerotropolis area. This project builds on AQMRC experience in air and carbon management in Africa, including the Low Carbon Consensus Panel study for the Academy of Science of South Africa and the National Framework for Air Quality for the South African Government.

IAPSC

On the 13th December, Tim chaired the winter IAPSC conference in Birmingham. Presentations included the traditional Defra Update spot (this time presented by Defra AQ newbie Neil Hamilton) as well as sessions on Communicating the Air Quality Problem, Vehicle Emissions and Local Authority Case Studies on LAQM.

EPSRC sandpit

From the 6th to 10th December, Tim attended an RCUK Energy Programme Sandpit Event on “Transport Behaviours, Habits and Practices” in Bath, with 20 other researchers from a range of different subjects ranging from Transport Studies, to Geography, Sociology, Economics and Digital Design. Over the five days the researchers worked to come up with a range of proposals for novel research into the transport problem.

West London Freight Project

West London Air Quality Group Freight project

Tim giving talk to Walker Institute at Reading University

On Wednesday 24th November, Tim will be giving a seminar about his Fellowship in DECC to members of the Walker Institute at Reading University.

Tim called to give evidence to House of Lords

Tim has been called to the House of Lords to give evidence to the Science and Technology Committee who are currently undertaking a inquiry into the use of behaviour change interventions as a means of achieving government policy goals. http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/lords-select/science-and-technology-committee/inquiries/behaviour/

He will be giving evidence to the inquiry on Tuesday 23^rd November.

Introduction to Air Pollution training day success

Attendees at last Friday's 'Introduction to Air Pollution' training day reported very positive feedback, commenting that the course gave "a very good introduction" and "both the food and venue were of a high quality". The course covered, sources and effects of air pollution, chemistry and meteorology.

This was just one of a series of one-day IAQM and IES accredited CPD courses run by the Air Quality Management Resource Centre at UWE, Bristol. Further details of other courses in the series are available on the AQMRC website. Click here to register your interest or book online. Book three or more courses and get 15% discount!

Please note that the next session will be Introduction to Local Air Quality Management on 14th January (Introduction to Carbon Management has been postponed to 8th February).

Enda invited to present to the Air Quality Expert Group

Enda was invited to present at a special Air Quality Expert Group (AQEG) evidence session  in Port Talbot on the 15^th November 2010. Enda’s presentation gave AQEG an overview of the findings and recommendations of the 2009 study “An Independent Review of Monitoring Measures Undertaken in Neath Port Talbot in respect to PM10”.

 

Jim to Co- Chair Air Pollution 2011

Jim Longhurst again will be the co-chair for the 19th International Conference on Modelling, Monitoring and Management of Air Pollution “Air Pollution 2011” which is to be held in Malta from the 19th – 21st September 2011. Jim will also co-edit the conference hardback book that will be published to coincide with the start of the conference.

The call for papers is available at http://www.wessex.ac.uk/11-conferences/airpollution-2011.html

Further details about the conference are available from the Claire Shiell at the address below
Claire Shiell
Conference Secretariat,
Air Pollution 2011
Wessex Institute of Technology,
Ashurst Lodge,
Ashurst,
Southampton, SO40 7AA
Tel: 44 (0) 238 0293223
Fax: 44 (0) 238 0292853
cshiell@wessex.ac.uk

Low Carbon Cities Consensus Panel. Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)

Jim has recently returned from a visit to South Africa (3-9th October) where he attended the second meeting of the Academy of Science of South Africa’s Low Carbon Cities Consensus Panel. As part of his contribution to the work of the Panel, Jim and AQMRC colleagues prepared a review of carbon management plans and strategies that are being implemented in European capital cities. The overall goal of the ASSAf study is to identify key areas of intervention that would position the city of Durban on a pathway towards a low carbon future. The study has been commissioned by the Environmental Management Unit of the eThekwini Municipality (City of Durban) and the panel is led by the Executive Officer of ASSAf, Prof Roseanne Diab. The study is financially supported by the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) See http://www.assaf.co.za/?page_id=998 for further details.

AQMRC/EPUK-SW Annual conference presentations online

The 12th Annual Conference of the AQMRC, UWE and EPUK-SW was held last Tuesday 12th October. The theme of this year's conference, was entitled "Healing the Rift - Health Effects of Air Quality and Noise", and sought to highlight the benefits for health of co-managing these two policy areas. The event, which was held for the first time at UWE's Exhibition and Conference Centre, was a great success with positive feedback from speakers and delegates alike. The presentations are now available to download on the AQMRC webpages.

Rose and Jo present at IUAPPA 2010

Rose Bailey and Jo Barnes presented their research at the 15th IUAPPA World Clean Air Congress on 12th - 16th September 2010.

Rose presented City-scale Carbon Management: An Innovative Methodology for Imagining a Low Carbon Future in the Urban Sustainability Issues session, which she also chaired. Jo presented Reframing the United Kingdom's Air Quality Management Challenge: From Diagnosis to Solutions in the Approaches to Environmental Management session. Jo was also asked to present on What Scope is there for Demand Management to Deliver Better Urban Air Quality Environments in the Special Session: Greener Transport in a Post-Recession World.

The presentations were well received and generated a lot of interesting debate.

Visit the IUAPPA website and download the book of abstracts and the conference presentations.

For further information on Rose's and Jo's research, please email rosemary.bailey@uwe.ac.uk and jo.barnes@uwe.ac.uk respectively or visit their webpages: http://www.uwe.ac.uk/aqm/rose.html and http://www.uwe.ac.uk/aqm/jo.html.

Enda and Jim meet with Rob Hannaby from New Zealand Transport Agency

Enda and Jim recently had a lengthy, engaging and very informative meeting with Rob Hannaby, Principal Environmental Specialist from the New Zealand Transport Agency. Rob, an ex-air quality officer from Stoke-on-Trent City Council, contacted AQMRC as he wanted to learn more about the strengths and weaknesses local air quality management processes and the future challenges we face in the UK. Rob envisaged that the experiences of the UK highlighted by Enda and Jim may be beneficial in assisting the New Zealand transport authority in recognising their key role in managing local air quality and the lessons learned may be useful in informing future NZ policy.    

Enda presents at the Welsh Air Quality Forum

Enda gave a presentation at the annual Welsh Air Quality Forum Conference in Cwmbran on the 22^nd September 2010. The presentation entitled “Local Air Quality Management Update: Reviewing the Reviews” gave the delegates an insight into the findings and recommendations of the recent Local Air Quality Management Review (for which Enda was responsible for an extensive questionnaire survey of local authority opinions on the strengths and weakness of the LAQM process) and the Environmental Audit Committee inquiry into air quality in the UK.

Enda gives a presentation and chairs the annual SEPA Conference

Enda gave a presentation entitled “Setting the Scene: Local Air Quality Management in the UK” and also chaired the recent Urban Air Quality Annual Conference organised by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. The Conference was directed at local authority land use planners, transport planners and sustainability staff can help to improve air quality, minimise the risk to human health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The event, hosted by the Scottish Government in Victoria Quay, Edinburgh, on the 8^th September 2010, was well attended with over 90 delegates from environmental health, transport planning, land-use planning, environmental consultancies and academics.

Recent publication with the Department of Marine Sciences, University of Lagos, Nigeria

Dotun recently co-authored a journal paper on the pollution status of water bodies that feeds the Lagos Lagoon. The paper was published in collaboration with colleagues from the Department of Marine Sciences, University of Lagos, Nigeria.

Edokpayi, C. A., Olowoporoku, A. O. and Uwadiae, R. E. (2010). The hydrochemistry and macrobenthic fauna characteristics of an urban draining creek. International Journal of Biodiversity and Conservation 2(8), 196-203. Available online on here

More recent publications...

The following short articles have been published in the August 2010 issue of the Environmental Scientist which is devoted to Imagining Britain in 2050.

Dotun Olowoporoku and Jim Longhurst (2010)
Cities and the vision of a green, pleasant and low carbon UK.
Environmental Scientist 19 (2) 8-11

Rose Bailey and Jim Longhurst (2010)
Case Study: 2050 Bristol. A world leader in green business and sustainable living.
Environmental Scientist 19 (2) 29-34

The Environmental Scientist is the Journal of the Institution of Environmental Sciences, ISSN 09668411.
For information on the IES visit http://www.ies-uk.org.uk/

AQMRC Publications Update

Recent publications from AQMRC:

Dorfman, P., Gibbs, D.C., Leksmono, N.S., Longhurst, J. W. S., Weitkamp, E.L.C. (2010) Exploring the context of consultation. The case of Local air Quality Management. Local Environment 15:1 15 – 26.

Olowoporoku, A. O., Hayes, E. T., Leksmono, N. S., Longhurst, J. W. S. & Parkhurst, G. (2010) A longitudinal study of the links between Local Air Quality Management and Local Transport Planning policy processes in England. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 53 (3), 385 – 403.

AQMRC/EPUK-SW Annual conference - 12th October 2010 - BOOK NOW!!

The Air Quality Management Resource Centre, UWE and Environmental Protection SW are proud to announce their collaboration once more with the launch of the 2010 Annual Conference. The theme of this year's event is "Healing the Rift: Health Effects of Air Quality and Noise" and includes distinguished speakers such as Robert Vaughan, Bob Maynard, Frank Kelly and Dick Derwent. You can also meet EPUK's new Chief Executive Officer, James Grugeon.

UWE will be hosting the event at their purpose-built Exhibition and Conference Centre in Bristol. The venue is easily accessible by road, rail, bus or cycle - in fact we will be offering free mugs for those travelling by sustainable means, so keep your tickets! - and there is also a nearby Holiday Inn for those planning on travelling a little further.

The conference is to be held on Tuesday 12th October - just 5 weeks away! - so make sure you book your place for what promises to be a fascinating insight into cross-policy interaction with plenty of relevance for Action Planning for both Air Quality and Noise.

Click here to download a flier and booking form.

Air Pollution 2011 Call for Papers

Air Pollution 2011, 19th International Conference on Modelling, Monitoring and Management of Air Pollution, 19 - 21 September 2011 Malta

The call for papers has now been published at http://www.wessex.ac.uk/11-conferences/airpollution-2011.html

Further details from Claire Shiell
Conference Secretariat,

Wessex Institute of Technology,

Ashurst Lodge,

Ashurst,

Southampton, SO40 7AA

Tel: 44 (0) 238 0293223

Fax: 44 (0) 238 0292853

cshiell@wessex.ac.uk

Air Pollution 2010 - Post conference report now available

Air Pollution 2010 18th International Conference on Modelling, Monitoring and Management of Air Pollution, 21 - 23 June 2010, Kos, Greece

Post Conference Report Now Available at http://www.wessex.ac.uk/10-conferences/air-pollution-2010.html

The 18th International Conference on Modelling, Monitoring and Management of Air Pollution (Air Pollution 2010) has recently taken place on the island of Kos, Greece, organised by Professor Jim Longhurst from the University of the West of England and Professor Carlos A Brebbia from Wessex Institute of Technology (WIT).
This successful international meeting built upon the prestigious outcomes of the 17 preceding conferences beginning in Monterrey, Mexico in 1993 and most recently in Tallinn, Estonia, in 2009. These meetings have always attracted outstanding contributions from leading researchers from around the world. The presented papers have been permanently stored in the WIT eLibrary as Transactions of the Wessex Institute (see http://library.witpress.com/). These papers provide an important online record of the development of science and policy pertaining to air pollution and they remain permanently available for researchers to access. Read the full conference report at http://www.wessex.ac.uk/10-conferences/air-pollution-2010.html

Rose to present at 15th IUAPPA World Clean Air Congress

Rose has been selected to present at the 15th IUAPPA World Clean Air Congress held in Vancouver, Canada, from 12th-16th September. The title of Rose's abstract is 'City-Scale Carbon Management: an innovative methodology for imagining a low carbon future', which will be presented in the Technical Session on 'Urban Sustainability Issues'.

More information about the conference can be found here: http://www.iuappa2010.com

The 2010 IUAPPA Congress theme of "Achieving Environmental Sustainability in a Resource Hungry World" recognizes the need for holistic management approaches to effectively mitigate potential water, food, energy, and environmental challenges. This Congress will bring together specialists from academia, industry, consulting, environmental advocacy groups, and government to present innovative ways to improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and minimize environmental impacts. The program will examine international, national and local-scale issues facing both emerging and developed economies.

More information about Rose and her research can be found on her web page.

Jo to present at 15th IUAPPA World Clean Air Congress

Jo has been selected to present at the 15th IUAPPA World Clean Air Congress held in Vancouver, Canada, from 12th-16th September. The title of Jo's abstract is 'Reframing the United Kingdom Air Quality Management Challenge: From Diagnosis to Solutions', which will be presented in the 'Approaches to Environmental Management' technical session.

More information about the conference can be found here: http://www.iuappa2010.com

The 2010 IUAPPA Congress theme of "Achieving Environmental Sustainability in a Resource Hungry World" recognizes the need for holistic management approaches to effectively mitigate potential water, food, energy, and environmental challenges. This Congress will bring together specialists from academia, industry, consulting, environmental advocacy groups, and government to present innovative ways to improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and minimize environmental impacts. The program will examine international, national and local-scale issues facing both emerging and developed economies.

More information about Jo and her research can be found on her web page.

Rose has just returned from the Second International Conference on Climate Change in Brisbane, Australia, where she presented a paper on her research methodology entitled "Envisioning the Future: a Methodology for City Scale Carbon Management" which discussed the use of Delphi techniques to imagine low carbon futures for Bristol. The conference attracted delegates from all over the world with discussions on all aspects of climate research.

More information about the conference can be found here: http://www.climate-conference.com

The paper will shortly be published in the conference journal, 'The International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses', found here: http://on-climate.com/journal/

More information about Rose's research can be found on her web page: http://www.uwe.ac.uk/aqm/rose.html

Tim to present at Climate Change conference in November

The Centre for Psycho-Social Studies, UWE in association with UWE Institute for Sustainability, Health and the Environment presents a one-day conference: Seeing Futures: Integrating Scientific Views on Changing Climates on November 13th 2010. Speakers include:

*Dr Stephan Harrison, Associate Professor of Quaternary Science, University of Exeter
Climate Science – Certainty, Uncertainty and Risk

*Dr Tim Chatterton, Senior Research Fellow in Air Quality at UWE, currently on Social Science Policy Fellowship with the Department of Energy and Climate Change
Climate Change – Science, Media, Policy and The Public

*Dr Clive Hamilton, Professor of Public Ethics, Australia National University and author of Growth Fetish, The Freedom Paradox and Requiem for a Species
By audio-visual link from Canberra - Climate Knowledge Under Siege – the Many Forms of Denial

*Sandra White Ecopsychologist, environmental writer, bereavement counsellor, founder member of Transition Hertford
Beyond Sacrifice – Reaching Towards the Ecological Self

The Conference Chair is Sara Parkin, Founder Director of Forum for the Future.

Further details and online registration are available here. Hurry - discount rate until 30th August!

Air Quality and Carbon Management CPD training

AQMRC are running a training session this Friday (30th July) as part of their Air Quality and Carbon Management CPD training. This Friday's session will focus on Monitoring and Modelling for Local Air Quality Management and will be attended by environmental scientists from local authorities and environmental consultancies. The course is accredited by the Institute for Air Quality Management (IAQM) and the Institution for Environmental Science (IES) and is worth up to 17 CPD hours, including additional online access after the event. If you are interested in attending this or any of the courses in the Air Quality and Carbon Management series, please email aqmrc@uwe.ac.uk or register your interest online.

Dr Nurul Leksmono Memorial Prize

The AQMRC are pleased to announce the inauguration of an award to commemorate Dr Nurul Leksmono who sadly passed away earlier this year. Nurul was a much loved and highly respected Research Fellow and PhD student in Air Quality Management. The prize, in her name, is to be awarded to the UWE Postgraduate International student whose PhD or MSc thesis on the subject of air quality, carbon management or environmental management can be considered the best in the graduating year. The prize will be presented at the graduation ceremony in November.

Air Quality Webinar

This is a priority invitation to the following webinar; ‘The Air Quality Paradox? Improving Health, tackling climate change and breathing easier’, hosted on the 2degrees Low Carbon Local Authorities working group on Friday, 16th July at 2pm.
Presenters:
• Daniel Instone, Deputy Director, Atmosphere and Local Environment Programme, DEFRA
• Dr Tim Chatterton, Air Quality Management Resource Centre, University of the West of England
• Simon Cousins, Environment Programme Officer, GLA
The presenters will:
• Examine how the transition to a low carbon economy can be managed to ensure it doesn't have an unintended negative impact on air quality, health and the environment
• Identify and explore synergies and conflicts in addressing carbon reduction and air quality
• Provide practical insights into London's efforts to tackle air quality
The webinar takes place online so requires no travel and will offer you the opportunity to put any questions you may have to the experts.
Register now to attend the webinar and join 2degrees Low Carbon Local Authorities Working Group.
Membership of 2degrees is FREE, but if you join before July 16th you will receive a FREE 2 month upgrade to our enhanced business level service.
Find out more about 2degrees and the Low Carbon Local Authorities Working Group.
For more information on 2degrees or further details of this webinar, please contact Laura at 2degrees here or on 01865 339431.

New AQM Publications

Just published:

Leksmono, N.S., Dorfman, P., Burnet, F., Gibbs, D.C., Longhurst, J. W. S., Weitkamp, E. (2010) Enhancing consultation practices on Air Quality Management in local authorities. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 53(5) pp 559 – 571

Brebbia, C.A &. Longhurst, J.W.S. (Editors, 2010) Air Pollution XVIII. WIT Press. Southampton and Boston. pp 430

J.W.S. Longhurst, J. Barnes, T.J. Chatterton, E.T. Hayes, J.G. Irwin & A. O. Olowoporoku (2010). Recalibrating the United Kingdom’s Local Air Quality Management regime to deliver desired goals. In Brebbia, C.A. & Longhurst, J.W.S. (Editors) Air Pollution XVIII WIT Press. Southampton and Boston. pp73-82.

A full list of AQMRC publications is available on the AQMRC website.

Rose to attend International Conference on Climate Change

Rose will be attending the Second International Conference on Climate Change at the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, from 8-10th July. Rose will be presenting a paper entitled 'Envisioning the Future: a Methodology for City Scale Carbon Management'. In this, she discusses her research methodology, which proposes using Delphi techniques to identify potential future low carbon scenarios for the Bristol city region.
More information about the conference can be found here: http://on-climate.com/conference-2010/
More information about Rose's research can be found here: http://www.uwe.ac.uk/aqm/rose.html

Emission Factor Toolkit (Version 4.2)

A revised version of the emission factor toolkit (EFT) has been issued and is available for download on Defra’s LAQM tools website (http://laqm1.defra.gov.uk/review/tools/emissions.php). The revised version (Version 4.2) allows the use of detailed local vehicle fleet composition data, i.e. it gives the ability to split the traffic into more than just HDV and LDV. It also corrects some minor errors in the way the previous version interpreted some of the national fleet data. Because of these errors, emissions calculated using version 4.2 may be slightly different from those calculated using version 4.1. Any discrepancies will very small, particularly in relation to other modelling uncertainties. Local Authorities are not required to redo any work already carried out using version 4.1 but are advised to use version 4.2 for future work. Version 4.2 will soon be accompanied by a user guide which will explain how to use the new functions.

New LAQM website

Defra and the Devolved Administrations have launched their new and improved Local Air Quality Management website today!

This replaces the following websites: http://www.airquality.co.uk/laqm/laqm.php , http://www.uwe.ac.uk/aqm/review/ and http://www.laqmsupport.org.uk/.

The following links will help re-direct you:

LAQM homepage

Guidance – Policy and technical guidance, practice guidance and lots of other useful guidance for LAQM.

Helpdesks – contacts details for email or phone support for LAQM

FAQs – useful information grouped by subject area

Review and Assessment – example reports, checklists and useful information.

Action Planning – example reports, checklists, useful information on measures and best practice

Tools – including background maps, NOx/NO2 calculator, Biomass calculator, Emissions Factor Toolkit, VCM, DMRB, national Bias Adjustment Factor spreadsheet and more.

AQMAs – maps of AQMAs and lists of which councils have declared

Report Submission Website – for Updating and Screening Assessments and Progress Reports

Jim goes to Air Pollution 2010 in Kos

Professor Jim Longhurst is attending the 18th International Conference on Modelling, Monitoring and Management of Air Pollution in Kos, Greece this week as conference co-chair. Further details of the conference are available on the conference website http://www.wessex.ac.uk/10-conferences/air-pollution-2010.html. Check the AQMRC latest news for an update on Jim's activities at the conference on his return.

Mo and Jo Doubleact at Heating up GIS Seminar

Mofoluso Fagbeja and Jo Barnes gave presentations on applications of GIS in air quality management at yesterday's' 'Heating up GIS seminar', part of the heat@uwe programme. The seminar aimed to raise awareness of capabilities, applications and ideas about the use of geographical information systems (GIS) at UWE and to highlight its potential value to disciplines and staff unfamiliar with the subject. A number of varied disciplines were represented at the seminar, which was widely considered to be a very successful initiative potentially leading to some interesting and valuable research collaborations. For further information on 'Heating up GIS' or heat@uwe contact louise5king@uwe.ac.uk. For further information on GIS and air quality management please contact aqmrc@uwe.ac.uk.

Updated pollution data from industrial facilities now available in the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR)

E-PRTR is a comprehensive online register which contains information on emissions of pollutants to air, water and land by industrial facilities throughout Europe (EU-27 and EFTA countries). It includes annual data for 91 substances and covers more than 24 000 facilities in 65 economic activities. E-PRTR also provides additional information, such as the amount and types of waste transferred from facilities to waste handlers both inside and outside each country. The new dataset now contains information for 2008 and updated data for 2007. Voluntarily reported data from Switzerland are also included in the register for the first time.
More: E-PRTR website

Research in Physical Sciences/AQMRC Seminar Presentation

Mofoluso had his Research in Physical Sciences Assessment and AQMRC Seminar presentation on 19 May, 2010. He presented on the progress of his research. The presentation was titled, "Applying remote sensing, GIS and dispersion modelling techniques to air quality and carbon emission management in the Niger Delta". The audience at the presentation cut across disciplines. Details of the presentation can be found on Mofoluso's web page at http://uwe.ac.uk/aqm/mofolusosresearch.html

Europe to exceed air pollutant emission limits – NOx in particular

In 2010, around half of the European Union's Member States expect to miss one or more of the legal limits set by the National Emission Ceilings Directive. According to recent data compiled by the European Environment Agency (EEA), 11 countries expect to exceed their ceilings by significant amounts — some missing NOx targets by more than 40 %.
Read more ...

Nurul celebration video

To celebrate the life and times we shared with Nurul Leksmono, a memorial event was held on Wednesday, 28 April, 2010 at the Octagon Centre in UWE Frenchay Campus. A book of remembrance will be available for the next couple of weeks for those who were unable to attend and wish to send a message to her family. As part of the ceremony we compiled a presentation of photos of Nurul set to music, which will help us remember her as the happy, smiley person she was. Click on the image below to view:

Nurul celebration video from dotun olowoporoku on Vimeo.

Sad news - Dr Nurul Leksmono

We are very sad to announce the sudden and tragic death of Dr Nurul Leksmono who drowned in a diving accident in Indonesia on Saturday 10th April. Nurul studied and worked in the Air Quality Management Resource Centre at UWE from 2001-2009 before returning to work in her home city of Jakarta last year. Nurul was the most likeable, warm-hearted and generous of people. Her kind, patient, happy nature, which touched so many, will be missed by all who knew her. Our thoughts and sympathy are with her family and friends.

To celebrate her life and times with us, we will be hosting a memorial event from 12-1 pm on Wednesday, 28 April, 2010 at the Octagon Centre in UWE Frenchay Campus. A book of remembrance will be available at the event for those who wish to send a message to her family.

LAQM Review based on AQMRC questionnaire

An internal review of LAQM has recently been published for Defra by in-house consultants utilising the results of a local authority questionnaire undertaken by AQMRC. The Review of Local Air Quality Management report can be viewed online at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/quality/air/airquality/local/documents/laqm-report.pdf, along with the accompanying questionnaire report at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/quality/air/airquality/local/documents/laqm-questionnaire-review.pdf.

AQMRC contribute to Environmental Audit Committee report on air quality

The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee on Air Quality report was released last Monday. Published by the Stationery Office, reference HC229-I and available on line at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmenvaud.htm, the report draws heavily on evidence provided by AQMRC. (Press release at http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/environmental_audit_committee.cfm).

New paper in press

Ross-Jones, M.J & Longhurst, J.W.S. (In Press) Managing Air Quality at the Local level. A Case Study. The International Journal of Sustainable Development & Planning.

Congratulations to Dr Dotun Olowoporoku

Dotun has successfully defended his PhD thesis entitled ‘Delivering improved air quality through the local transport plan process in English local government’ His thesis was examined by Professor John Murlis, UCL, and Dr Kiron Chatterjee, UWE, and the examiners have recommended the award of PhD subject to minor amendments.

Very many congratulations to Dotun on an excellent defence of his thesis. Congratulations also to the supervisors, Dr Enda Hayes and Professor Graham Parkhurst, and the director of studies, Jim Longhurst, on a successful supervision to completion.

Rose to lecture at University of Iceland, Reykjavik

Rose will be involved in running a weekend of lectures and workshops on sustainable futures, at the University of Iceland, Reykjavik. Rose will be lecturing Masters students on carbon management policy and practice, and carbon accounting. The lecture series has been organised by Professor Vala Ragnarsdottir, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at the University of Iceland, and one of Rose's supervisors, and will run from 5th-7th March.