Emissions in the news - when will the government wake up?

In a week when we have seen evidence of further emissions cheating in Japan
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-36089558) while VW agrees compensation deals for its use of defeat devices in the US (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-36103903), and DfT finally provides evidence that real-world emissions across all motor manufacturers are on average six times higher that the type approval tests (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vehicle-emissions-testing-programme-conclusions), how then can the PM continue to defend the motor industry (http://www.airqualitynews.com/2016/04/21/prime-minister-defends-car-industry-over-diesel-emissions/) that has proven itself time and again to not have public health interests at heart. When will the government wake up to the incontrovertible proof that our motor industry is killing us and that no amount of economic growth can justify that!
 

Expert response to the Department for Transport report on the real-world emissions from diesel vehicles

In response to the Department for Transport report out yesterday on the real-world emissions from diesel vehicles, Dr Jo Barnes made the following statement: “It is fantastic news that the UK government has now finally officially, and independently, acknowledged the extent of the discrepancy between test cycle and real world emissions across all motor manufacturers. At last air quality modellers can now stop labouring under the false pretence that published emission factors are “realistic” and, through the implementation of on-road real-world emission testing, motor manufacturers will now have to ensure new vehicles are cleaner. There is still a long way to go however to ensure public health is protected from vehicle emissions. The agreed new emissions tests will still allow emissions to exceed the standards by twice as much and, compared to US standards, it could be argued even the standards themselves are too lenient. It is also unclear what the government plans to do about the dirty vehicles that are already on our roads. Will a new scrappage scheme be in order? This will also have implications for the new Air Quality Plan that Defra has just submitted to the European Commission. Effectively this announcement undermines the emissions forecasts that underpinned Defra’s assumption that health-based air quality limit values would be achieved by 2020 in most areas and by 2025 in London and would push this date on by years.” In addition, the government should seriously consider introducing NOx and PM testing into MOT tests and funding roadside testing in order to check the on-going effectiveness of emissions management systems in real-world driving conditions over time.

UWE air quality training on new LAQM Guidance - book now!

The AQMRC at UWE, Bristol have launched a new suite of IES and IAQM-accredited air quality training sessions to help policy makers and practitioners to understand their role and requirements in the latest Local Air Quality Management Policy and Technical Guidance. Technical Guidance TG(16) for the UK (except London) and Policy Guidance PG(16) for the Devolved Administrations was released by Defra last Friday. The new guidance will have implications for anyone working in air quality, transport, development control, public health and sustainability, both in the public and private sector.

In the week commencing 23rd May 2016, the AQMRC will be running updated sessions on:

•        Air Quality Management
•        Air Quality Monitoring
•        Air Quality Dispersion Modelling
•        Air Quality and Development Control
•        Air Quality Action Planning

Each session is delivered in one day and delegates can book on to as many or few days as they like, although there are discounts available for bookings of all five sessions. Each day costs £200, which includes course materials, car parking, lunch and refreshments. Full details of each of the sessions, including online booking forms are available by clicking on the links above. Places are limited, so please book now to avoid disappointment. If you have any queries, please contact jo.barnes@uwe.ac.uk.

Tim at American Association of Geographers Conference

Tim will be attending the American Association of Geographers annual conference in Chicago between the 28^th March and 2^nd April. http://www.aag.org/cs/annualmeeting

He is presenting a paper on “Energy Justice” based on the work of the MOT project (www.MOTproject.net) as well as organising and chairing a panel session for the project on “Vehicle Odometers and Other Novel Methods of Examining Car Ownership and Usage” with a range of international coleages, including Dr Deborah Salon from University of Arizona State University, Professor Joseph Ferreira from MIT, and MOT PI Prof. Jillian Anable from Leeds University.

Tim invited participant at the DEMAND conference

Tim is an invited panel member on the “Energy and Money” workshop stream at the 2016 DEMAND Centre conference (13-15^th April)  http://www.demand.ac.uk/conference-2016/

He will also be giving a presentation on “The Financial Implications of Car Ownership and Use” based on the work of the MOT project (www.MOTproject.net)

Air quality in the media

Jo Barnes has been invited to participate in interviews on BBC Radio Bristol's Breakfast programme and with ITV and BBC News tomorrow morning. The interviews are linked to the 'Smogmobile' which will be making a trip to Bristol tomorrow. In previous journeys the Smogmobile has demonstrated that air pollution levels within vehicles can be as high or even higher than those measured outside. This, together with the findings from the report from the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health released last week, encouraging walking and cycling to reduce air pollution, help to highlight the need to reduce our reliance on cars, not only to reduce emissions but also to reduce our personal exposure to pollution.

AQMRC welcomes the publication of 'Every breath we take: the lifelong impact of air pollution' by the RCP and the RCPCH

The AQMRC welcomes this report into the lifelong impact of air pollution by the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. This is yet another publication that reinforces the fact that air pollution contributes significantly to poor health outcomes locally, nationally and internationally.

 

We are pleased to see that the working group have gone beyond the three principal tenets of reducing the long term health effects of air pollution that we set out in our consultation response.   The report emphasises the importance of embracing  a number technological, behavioural and statutory means to achieve better health outcomes for both individuals and society as a whole.

 

The RCP and RCPCH report can be found here: https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/projects/outputs/every-breath-we-take-lifelong-impact-air-pollution

 

 

 

Jo presentated at Westminster Briefing event on Tuesday

On Tuesday 16th February, Jo gave a presentation on 'Local and National Action - Next Steps' at the Westminster Briefing 'Air Quality Management Under the New Government: Understanding National Priorities and the Next Steps for LAQM'. The presentation covered the latest LAQM and Action Plan consultations from Defra and speculated on the effects that recent legislative actions may have on air quality management in the near future. The presentation can be accessed here: https://eprints.uwe.ac.uk/secure/28240/








 

Jo invited to speak at Westminster Briefing Air Quality event

Jo Barnes has been invited to speak at the Westminster Briefing event 'Air Quality Management Under the New Local Government: Understanding National Priorities and the Next Steps for LAQM'. The event is to be held in Victoria, London on Tuesday 16th February. There are still places available though, so to book yours, please register online at: http://www.westminster-briefing.com/home/event-detail/newsarticle/air-quality-management-under-the-new-government/

Bristol Method - UWE's transport module most popular

The Bristol Method: Transport modules, which AQMRC, UWE helped write and coordinate, have just been announced as the most popular. The Bristol Method is a knowledge-transfer programme aimed at helping people in other cities understand and apply the lessons that Bristol has learned in becoming a sustainable city.In a summary of the web stats:

• 25 modules have now been published on line. A further seven are due to be published before end of Feb taking the final total to 32.
• The Method has been accessed by people in 56 different countries including 20 unique users in Japan and four in Nigeria.
• As expected, the bulk of the audience to date has been from the UK and western Europe, particularly Belgium, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Around 2% of traffic has come from the USA.
• In total, 2,400 unique users have visited 3,300 pages.

AQMRC's Jo Barnes helped to write and coordinate the module 'How to reduce traffic and its impacts' in conjunction with Bristol City Council and with additional contributions from the Centre for Transport and Society at UWE.

Financial Implications of Car Ownership - a social and spatial analysis

On 6th January, Tim presented work from the MOT (Motoring and vehicle Ownership Trends in the UK) project (www.tinyurl.com/MOTproject) at the 48th Annual Universities' Transport Study Group conference in Bristol.

Tim gives presentation at CTS Winter Conference

On 14th December, Tim gave a presentation at the annual UWE Centre for Transport and Society Winter Conference. The presentation was on 'Financial Implications of Car Ownership' was based on analyses undertaken in the MOT (Motoring and vehicle Ownership Trends in the UK' project (www.tinyurl.com/MOTproject).

AQMRC signatories to 'The Truth about Diesel Cars' open letter

An open letter to European public and policy makers was published by the IAQM today (11/12/2015). The letter, from a group of concerned air quality practitioners and researchers, believe that the public should be made aware of the true nature of the pollution from diesel cars. Both Jim and Enda are signatories to this important document.

 

The letter itself can be found here: http://iaqm.co.uk/text/letters/Truth%20about%20Diesel%20Cars_11Dec15.pdf

 

 

Jim and Ben contribute to the Bristol Earth Champions short film

Jim and Ben were filmed as part of a Bristol Earth Champions film, due to be shown at the Conference of Parties (COP) 21 climate meeting in Paris this week. They represented UWE’s contribution to addressing the challenge of air pollution within Bristol and beyond.  Other contributors to the film,  organised by the international environmental charity Earth Champions, included local Bristol organisations Modcell and Lifecycle.

 

The video can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ-wFhHb-Zg&feature=youtu.be

 

Air pollution on topic at the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution

Ben contributed to the annual Geography A-level Conference at the Bath Literary and Scientific Institution on Thursday 19^th November. Students from schools across North Somerset were taken on an ‘air pollution journey’ from Roman times through to the modern era and into the future. Questions from the students were wide and varied and a good discussion was had around current topical issues, including real-world driving emissions and Bath’s Air Quality Management Area.

 

The AQMRC contribute to Gatwick Airport Ltd's Air Quality Plan consultation response

The AQMRC were commissioned by Gatwick Airport Ltd to review the robustness of emission factors used as the basis for modelling within Defra’s proposed Air Quality Plan. Gatwick’s consultation response and our contribution to it, can be found here: http://gatwickairport.com/globalassets/publicationfiles/business_and_community/all_public_publications/second_runway/airports_commission/final_submitted_response_to_draft_air_quality_plan_3nov15.pdf

 

 

 

Routes to Clean Air conference success

The Air Quality Management Resource Centre was out in force at the recent Institute of Air Quality Management’s Routes to Clean Air conference, on the 22^nd and 23^rd of October. The event, co-organised by the AQMRC, the IAQM and Bristol City Council attracted over a hundred delegates keen to discuss issues surrounding vehicle emissions, mitigation measures and the future of air quality within the UK. Jim struck a chord with many delegates during his talk on ‘air quality in historical perspective – or why we fail to learn the lessons of history’. The conference also heard talks from Dr Eckard Helmers of the University of Applied Sciences, Trier on how diesel vehicle emissions may not actually reduce our CO₂ contribution compared to petrol vehicle emissions and Dr James Tate of the University of Leeds on how real-world emissions from vehicles are often different to those of type-approval testing.

 

All in all, the conference was deemed to be a great success with national media outlets running stories derived from a number of the speakers.  Jim’s presentation, along with others from the conference can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LyJ24uSbWc

 

 

Tim presenting at MODEshift Convention

Tim will be presenting the 'fleximobility' work (http://www.fleximobility.solutions) from the Disruption project today at the annual MODEshift Convention in Birmingham (http://www.modeshift.org.uk/convention).

MODEshift are the UK's leading sustainable travel organisation.

AQMRC responds to the NICE consultation on outdoor air quality and health

The AQMRC recently responded to the National Institute of Clinical Excellence’s call for comments on the development of reducing the ill-effects of outdoor air quality on health. The guideline scope, can be found here: http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/GID-PHG92/documents/air-pollution-outdoor-air-quality-and-health-final-scope2 and our comments and NICE responses to each comment can be found here: http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/GID-PHG92/documents/air-pollution-outdoor-air-quality-and-health-draft-scope-stakeholder-comments-and-responses-table2

 

 

AQMRC delighted to support Bristol City Council's bid for an Ultra Low Emissions Scheme

The AQMRC are delighted to support Bristol City Council’s bid for an Ultra Low Emissions Scheme for Bristol. We look forward to the opportunity for collaboration on such an important scheme.

 

Bristol Bright Night Success!

The AQMRC were very active at the Bristol Bright Night event at @Bristol on Friday. Both Jo and Ben spent the morning explaining air pollution, challenges and solutions to schoolchildren by showing them an enormous laminated map of Bristol City and its air quality management area (which was frequently sat upon and crawled across in the search for homes and schools, by all!) The evening was also exciting, with both Jim and Tim presenting during the Green Hour talks whilst Jo and Ben continued to discuss air pollution issues with those attending (with help from the giant laminated map of course!). A big thank you should also be given to Enda for playing a key role in the event’s organisation and ultimately, it’s success!

 

 

Dr Jo Barnes responds to VW emissions scandal

Jo has been engaged widely with both radio stations and the print media in discussing the recent Volkswagen scandal. A list of her media engagements are shown here:

 

·         Live studio interview with BBC Five Live Drive (22 Sept 2015)

·         Quoted in the Daily Telegraph (23 Sept 2015) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/11883416/vw-scandal-emission-target-death-rate.html

·         Live telephone interview with BBC Radio Tees (23 Sept 2015)

• Live telephone interview with BBC Radio Bristol (29 Sept 2015)

·         Live telephone interview with BBC Scotland (w/e 25 Sept 2015)

 

 

 

Tim presenting at ESRC Behaviour Change Seminar Series

On Monday 21^st September, Tim will be giving a talk about his work on ‘behaviour’ at the Watershed in Bristol as part of the ESRC Behaviour Change Seminar Series http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/bl/research/bsmc/esrcseminarseries.aspx

 

The series is organised by Bristol Social Marketing Centre at UWE, in conjunction with partners from Capita, City University London, National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), On Target Consulting, University College London, University of Bath, University of Exeter, and the University of Manchester.

 

Presentation for Transport Planning Society in Birmingham

Tim will be leading a workshop for the Transport Planning Society in Birmingham on Thursday 30^th July on Flexi-mobility – Re-thinking Everyday Travel Patterns.

 

The work stems from the EPSRC/Energy Programme funded Disruption project.

http://www.tps.org.uk/westmidlands/events/id/0808/

 

 

 

 

Tim at 14th International Conference on Travel Behaviour Research

This week Tim will be representing the Disruption project, the MOT project and the EPSRC Travel Behaviours Network at the 14th International Conference on Travel Behaviour Research in Windsor (19th-23rd July).

He will be giving a presentation on 'New geographies of motoring: Variations in car type, size, usage, emissions and energy use in the UK' 

http://www.iatbr2015.org.uk/index.php/iatbr/iatbr2015/paper/view/516

UWE represented at National Air Quality Symposium, Beijing

Professor Martin Bigg and a small team of academics and environmental leaders were invited by the Consultative Committee to the State Council, China, to advise on air quality matters, and the drafting of Chinese air quality legislation.

 

During the visit (22^nd – 27^th June), Professor Bigg presented at the National Air Quality Symposium in Beijing and subsequently visited Shandong Province, Jining and Taian, where he met with national and regional leaders. During the visit, air quality management expertise developed in the UK, particularly in reference to the challenges within cities, was discussed. The recent developments and plans for the City of Bristol and the roles of both Universities and regulators in understanding and addressing air quality challenges was also highlighted.

 

There was a great deal of interest from the Chinese delegates in the UK’s experience and expertise on air quality questions, and a desire to explore further how this might be made available to them. To this end, we look forward to hearing from our colleagues in the Chinese air quality soon!

 

Travel Behaviours at the Transport Catapult

As part of the final engagement activities of the Travel Behaviour Network (http://www.travelbehaviours.net/) Tim helped organise an event on 23rd June at the Transport Catapult in Milton Keynes, and presented work from the Disruption and MOT projects there as well as running workshop sessions on them.

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________
Dr Tim Chatterton

Senior Research Fellow
Air Quality Management Resource Centre
Faculty of Environment and Technology
University of the West of England
Frenchay Campus
Bristol
BS16 1QY

Tel: 0117 328 2929
Fax: 0117 328 3360
Email: Tim.Chatterton@uwe.ac.uk

 

 

MOT and Disruption at the Future Cities Catapult

As part of the final engagement activities of the Travel Behaviour Network (http://www.travelbehaviours.net/) Tim helped organise an event on 15^th June at the Future Cities Catapult, and presented work from the Disruption and MOT projects there.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

 

 

_________________________________________
Dr Tim Chatterton

Senior Research Fellow
Air Quality Management Resource Centre
Faculty of Environment and Technology
University of the West of England
Frenchay Campus
Bristol
BS16 1QY

Tel: 0117 328 2929
Fax: 0117 328 3360
Email: Tim.Chatterton@uwe.ac.uk

 

 

Tim running workshop at LSx and Client Earth event

On Tuesday 7^th July, Tim will be running a workshop session on transport behaviour based around the work of the Disruption project at the London Sustainability Exchange and Client Earth event “Taking a Deep Breath: Cleaning Up London’s Air”

http://www.lsx.org.uk/news/events.aspx?id=3640

 

 

 

Disruption project 'takeover' at Annual Transport Pratitioners Meeting

On Wednesday 1^st July, Tim organised a co-ordinated set of 4 presentations and a workshop around the Disruptio project (www.disruptionproject.net) at the PTRC 2015 Annual Transport Practitioners Meeting.

The presentations consisted of:

·         David Williams on his PhD work on “Defining and delivering sustainable transport: who has the power to change the way we travel?”

·         Jillian Anable and Tom Budd’s work from Aberdeen University(presented by Tim) on “Responses and adaptability to disrupted travel patterns – a questionnaire study”

·         Noel Cass and James Faulconbridge’s work from Lancaster University on “Spatial, temporal and social factors in everyday mobility and modal choice – 3 years of ethnographic studies”
and

·         Greg Marsden and Jeremy Shires from Leeds University on “Disruption as it happens - a selection of responsive case studies”.

 

Tim, Caroline Mullen and Greg also ran a workshop on “‘Flexi-mobility’ – Re-thinking Everyday Travel Patterns” (see www.fleximobility.solutions)

_________________________________________
Dr Tim Chatterton

Senior Research Fellow
Air Quality Management Resource Centre
Faculty of Environment and Technology
University of the West of England
Frenchay Campus
Bristol
BS16 1QY

Tel: 0117 328 2929
Fax: 0117 328 3360
Email: Tim.Chatterton@uwe.ac.uk

 

 

Jo interviewed on BBC Radio Bristol

Jo was interviewed alongside Julie Girling MEP on BBC Radio Bristol on 18th June. Topics included the visit of Karmenu Vella, the EU Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries to the Bristol-Bath region, sources of air pollution in the area and some strategies for reducing air pollution.

To listen again follow this link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02st2kv#auto and listen from 37-45 mins

Jim, Jo and Ben at the 52nd International Making Cities Livable Conference on Achieving Green, Healthy Cities

The 52nd International Making Cities Livable Conference on Achieving Green, Healthy Cities, co-sponsored by The University of Bristol and the University of the West of England, is in Bristol this week, and the AQMRC's Jim, Jo and Ben will be ensuring that air quality features prominently. Jim will be presenting under the 'Air Pollution, Urban Noise and Health' session on Thursday afternoon delivering a talk entitled Urban Air Quality in Historical Perspective - or why we fail to learn the lessons of history, in which he will expound on the need to learn from past mistakes in order to address modern air pollution problems in urban areas. Jo and Ben will be presenting in the poster session on the same afternoon, both on the theme of 'Learning from Bristol'. Jo's poster captures research undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of local air quality action planning using Bristol as a case study, while Ben will present the findings of the Bristol European Green Capital Air Quality Masterclass that we were invited to organize by Bristol City Council on behalf of the outgoing European Green Capital City, Copenhagen.



Jo provides expert advise at Air Quality Hackathon in London this weekend

Jo will be providing expert advise at the Future Cities Catapult Air Quality Hackathon in London this weekend. The event, which has nearly 100 registrants so far, aims to get designers, data scientist and creative technologists working with a multitude of relevant datasets to come up with solutions to the following questions:

•  How could data help policymakers to make more informed decisions around air quality?
•  How could we reduce the number of short journeys made by car and encourage more active mobility?
• How could we design tools or services to help people understand the causes or effects of air pollution? 

Jo will be presenting, alongside Professor Frank Kelly (KCL) and Usman Haque (Umbrellium), on Air Quality Management and Policy to set the context for the event and will remain on-hand throughout to deal with any questions and as part of the judging panel to award the best hacks. Further details of the event can be found here: http://www.urbaninnovationcentre.org.uk/event/air-quality-hackathon

 

Disruption Citizen Workshops

Tim is in Leeds on Friday and Saturday this week, working with the Institute of Transport Studies at Leeds University running citizen engagement workshops for the Disruption project. 

www.disruptionproject.net

www.fleximobility.solutions

Jim, Jo & Huw at Air Pollution 2015

Last week, Jim Longhurst, Jo Barnes & Huw Brunt attended the 23rd International Conference on Modelling, Monitoring and Management of Air Pollution 2015 in Valencia, Spain. Jim & Jo, as conference co-chairs, presented the keynote and invited presentations respectively, while Huw presented on his PhD research on air quality management and public health. The conference was very well attended with 90+ delegates registered and a very interesting range of presentations from across the field. The conference proceedings are also now published: Longhurst, J.W.S.,   Capilla, C., Brebbia, C.A.  & Barnes, J. (Editors) (2015). Air Pollution XXIII. WIT Press, Southampton and Boston. pp466, ISBN: 978-1-84564-964-7. 

New publication

Following the recent Air Pollution 2015 conference, the proceedings have been published. Professor Jim Longhurst & Dr Jo Barnes are co-chairs and editors of this publication.

 

Longhurst, J.W.S.,   Capilla, C., Brebbia, C.A.  & Barnes, J. (Editors) (2015). Air Pollution XXIII. WIT Press, Southampton and Boston. pp. 466, ISBN: 978-1-84564-964-7.

Soapbox Science Success

Jo was one of 12 female scientists (though the only one from UWE) selected to participate in the Soapbox Science event in Millennium Square in Bristol yesterday afternoon. Blessed with warm sunshine and an engaged and interested audience, the event was a huge success and a lot of fun! The aim of Soapbox Science is to raise the profile of women in science, however Jo's primary goal was to raise public awareness about air pollution. Armed with a arsenal of props, an hour's worth of spiel and the mandatory white coat, Jo talked, atop her box, about what air pollution was, where it came from and what it did to us, as well as getting the audience to think about how they could reduce their own exposure as well as reduce their emissions. Given that Bristol was selected for European Green Capital status in 2015 in part for its track record on air quality management, it was apt that this subject seemed to strike such a chord with the public.

New paper for MOT project accepted

Tim and Jo have just had a paper accepted by the prestigious journal Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment. The paper, co-authored with Prof. Jillian Anable at Aberdeen University, Prof. Eddie Wilson at Bristol and Dr Sally Cairns at TRL sets out methodologies for the spatial analysis of emissions from private car usage using annual vehicle test data. Maths work has been funded by the EPSRC under the RCUK Energy Programme with DfT and DECC as project partners. It is expected the paper will be available online within a couple of months.

Tim takes MOT and Disruption to France

This week (1st-6th June), Tim will be attending the ECEEE Summer Study near Toulon in France, where he will be giving presentation on the MOT project and running a workshop on the Disruption project for over 480 energy efficiency experts from across Europe and beyond.

Tim Talking About 'Behaviour' and Energy at Reading University

On 28^th May, Tim gave a seminar to the School of Construction Management and Engineering at Reading University on his work on energy consumption and ‘behaviour’.  The talk covered a range of work from his DECC Fellowship, Follow on Fund (4 Dimensions of Behaviour), the Disruption and MOT projects and his recent work for the Committee on Climate Change.

DEMAND Transport and Fuel Poverty Workshp

His week Tim is representing the MOT and Disruption projects as an invited participant to an DEMAND Centre workshop on Energy-related economic stress at the interface between transport poverty and fuel poverty.

http://www.demand.ac.uk/events/event/workshop-energy-related-economic-stress-at-the-interface-between-transport-poverty-fuel-poverty-and-residential-location/

ClientEarth success at the Supreme Court

On Wednesday the 29^th of April the UK Supreme Court voted unanimously that the UK Government has failed to secure compliance with EU limit values for nitrogen dioxide concentrations within certain zones under Directive 2008/50/EC. As such, they have been ordered to submit new air quality plans to the European Commission, no later than the 31^st December 2015.

 

This judgement sends a strong message that harmful levels of air pollution are unacceptable and must be addressed promptly. The AQMRC are pleased with this result and we look forward to the anticipated consultation period later in the year.

 

Congratulations to ClientEarth on this hard-won case!

Ben interviewed for Made in Bristol TV News

Air pollution has been covered widely in the media during the last week or so due to a period of particularly poor air quality affecting much of the UK. This period of poor air quality was as a result of contributions from industry and agriculture on mainland Europe, some contribution from Saharan sand and significant proportions of local emissions. Although the South East and East of England are experiencing the highest levels, Bristol has also been affected. To this end, Made in Bristol TV interviewed Ben and discussed this pollution episode and its potential impact on Bristol and its residents. The interview will be broadcast at 6pm and 9pm tonight (10^th April) on Made in Bristol TV News.

Congratulations to Ben Williams on defending his PhD

Congratulations to our newest recruit Ben Williams on passing his viva at the University of Portsmouth on Monday 30^th March (subject to minor corrections). Ben’s PhD is on the ‘Source Apportionment and Dispersion Mapping of Fugitive Dust using Directional Passive Monitors’. We look forward to the publications from his thesis and their subsequent impact.

 

 

Air Quality in the media

Air quality has featured heaviliy in the media this month, thanks in part to some excellent coverage from the BBC, sparked by their School Report. BBC News School Report gives UK secondary school students the opportunity to make and broadcast their own news. In February 2015, students from Oasis Brightstowe Academy, near Shirehampton, investigated their exposure to air pollution on their commute to and from school. AQMRC's Dr Jo Barnes advised on the monitoring and data analysis and was invited to participate in a number of interviews for TV and radio:

• Recorded radio interview with BBC Radio 4 Costing the Earth (3 Feb 2015)
• Recorded interview with BBC Radio Bristol (9 Feb 2015)
• Recorded TV interview with BBC Point West (12 Feb 2015)
• Recorded TV interview with CBBC Newsround (12 Feb 2015)
• Recorded interview with BBC World Service (12 Feb 2015)
• Live telephone interview with BBC Radio Bristol (23 Feb 2015)
• Live studio interview with BBC Points West (23 Feb 2015)
• Recorded TV interview with Made in Bristol (26 Feb 2015)

Many of these are available on the BBC iPlayer but here are a few additional links:

• BBC School Report: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schoolreport/31608825
• BBC World Service: http://t.co/XyXSMD1CAW
• BBC Radio 4 Costing the Earth: http://t.co/KfaO9Rj6GH
• CBBC Newsround: http://t.co/pBhwvEjOvY
• BBBC Radio Bristol Breakfast show podcast http://tinyurl.com/n6sz5fn (40:00-44:00 and 1:42-1:46)

Jo Interviewed for BBC Radio 4's Costing the Earth

This morning Jo was interviewed by the producer of BBC Radio 4's Costing the Earth on air quality in Bristol and the potential legacy of the Green Capital year for air pollution. The programme will be featured on February 24th.

Jo attended Public Health England Air Quality Event

Yesterday Jo attended the Public Health England 'Air Pollution and Pulic Health' stakeholder workshop. The purpose of the meeting was to help develop a Public Health England programme in support of national and local government to reduce mortality attributable to air pollution. The meeting was well attended by around 100 delegates from national and local governement and academia, primarily from air quality, public health and transport backgrounds.The workshop provided an opportunity to get wider feedback on the draft PHE work programme on air pollution for 2015/16 developed in conjunction with the PHE's Air Pollution and Public Health Advisory Group on which Jo also sits. Details of the meeting can be found online: https://www.phe-events.org.uk/hpa/frontend/reg/thome.csp?pageID=179225&ef_sel_menu=1416&eventID=458&eventID=458 and the presentations can be viewed here: https://www.phe-events.org.uk/HPA/media/uploaded/EVHPA/event_458/Onsitenew.pdf

Tim Running York Council Workshop

On Friday 30^th January, Tim, along with Prof. Greg Marsden and Dr Caroline Mullen of the Institute for Transport Studies in Leeds, ran a workshop for York City Council transport planning department.  The workshop explored the concept of ‘Flexi-Mobility’ that has been developed from the 3.5 year EPSRC project “Disruption: Unlocking Low Carbon Travel.

 

For more information on ‘Flexi-mobility’ and what it might mean for sustainable transport policy see our engagement website here http://www.fleximobility.solutions

 

New Publication on Cycling and Social Practice Theory

Tim and David, along with colleagues Fiona Spotswood and Alan Tapp from the Bristol Social Marketing Centre, have just had a new paper on Cycling and Social Practice Theory published in Transport Research Part F: Psychology and Behaviour

 

The paper is Open Access and can be downloaded here: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369847814001776

Abstract

Despite significant national and local efforts over the last decade to stimulate uptake of cycling in the UK, levels of cycling (particularly utility cycling) remain at around 2% of journeys. Understanding of cycling behaviour and subsequent development of interventions has typically been undertaken using an individualist approach, often relying on psychologically based models of behaviour. This paper argues that Social Practice Theory (SPT) may be a valuable addition to practitioner’s toolboxes by providing an alternative means of understanding the complex dynamics between the elements that constitute the practice of utility cycling, allowing it to be considered as a social issue, rather than focusing solely on individual behaviour. This is demonstrated within the paper by the use of SPT to reanalyse quantitative and qualitative datasets that explore views and experiences of both cyclists and non-cyclists. Therein, the practice of utility cycling is described according to its three elements; materials, meaning and competences and the potential benefits of this approach are discussed; particularly its ideological shift away from ‘victim blaming’ and its natural support of interdisciplinary intervention design.

 

Tim and David at UTSG

Tim and David have been at the 47th Annual Conference of the University Transport Studies Group this week presenting work from the Disruption project.

Tim was presenting the project's Green Paper on 'Flexi-mobility' (for mor details see http://www.fleximobility.solutions

David was presenting work from his PhD on 'Social Practice Theory and Sustainable Mobility' looking at the implementation of the Local Sustainable Transport Fund.

Tim at Act Travelwise Conference

On 9th December, tim will be presenting the work of the Disruption project on 'Flexi-mobility' at the Act Travelwise annual conference in Birmingham.

DECC Workshop on Behaviour

On Tuesday 2^nd December, Tim has been invited to participate in a workshop organised by the Department of Energy and Climate Change on ‘behaviour’.

The Climate Change Committee

Tim was invited to participate in a workshop organised by the Committee on Climate Change on Thursday 25^th, to help develop a framing for incorporating ‘behaviour’ into the 5^th Carbon Budget.  The workshop was attended by a range of social scientists and looks set to be the start of a long and interesting process!

Tim presents 'Flexi-mobility' to Bristol City Council

On Tuesday 25^th November, Tim presented the work of the Disruption project around the concept of ‘Flexi-mobility’ to Bristol City Council transport team.

Bristol Air Quality Masterclass success

AQMRC are proud to announce the success of the Bristol Air Quality Masterclass held on 28th and 29th October. The event, which was hosted by Bristol City Council as the 2015 Green Capital City on behalf of the current Green Capital, Copenhagen, was organised and run by AQMRC and Bristol City Council with speakers and delegates from across Europe. Both of the Copenhagen Mayor, Morten Kabell, and Bristol's Mayor, George Ferguson, attended and and gave keynote talks on air quality in their respective cities. The purpose of the event was to share good practice in air quality management among policy makers, practitioners, students and members of the public. The first day comprised of a number of presentations and case studies with stand-out presentations from Dr Ian Mudway at KCL and Alan Andrews from ClientEarth who set out the key health and legal challenges. On the second day a workshop was held using Crystal Interactive technology to examine the challenges and possible solutions to reducing air pollution in our towns and cities, from which a report will be produced by AQMRC summarising the key themes and issues.
For a full list of registered delegates, programme, presentations and a feedback form for attendees, please visit: http://www.bristol.gov.uk/node/24456. Tweets from the day can be found using the hashtag #AQMasterclass.




Speakers from the AQ Masterclass (from L-R: Carlo Trozzi (Techne Consulting), Steve Crawshaw (BCC), Simon Hayes (Global-Local), Alan Andrews (ClientEarth), Ian Mudway (KCL), Steen Solvang Jensen (DCE/Aarhus University), Martin Lutz (Berlin) and Anke Lükewille (EEA); absent Brian Hansen (Copenhagen))

Ben Williams joins the team

We are delighted to announce that Ben Williams has joined the Air Quality Management Resource Centre as a Research Associate. Ben joins us from DustScan Ltd where he gained over 5 years of experience in dust monitoring, assessment and particle characterisation. Prior to DustScan Ltd Ben completed a Knowledge Transfer Partnership scheme in which he developed a source apportionment and mapping method for nuisance dust. This KTP topic provides the basis for Ben's PhD, entitled 'Source Apportionment and Dispersion Mapping of Fugitive Dust using Directional Passive Monitors', which will be submitted before the end of the year.

Jo on BBC Sunday Politics West

Jo was interviewed on BBC Sunday Politcs West broadcast yesterday speaking about air pollution in Bath. Catch it on iPlayer http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b04l2tfl/sunday-politics-west-19102014

Jo interviewed by BBC Radio Bristol

UWE's Dr Jo Barnes was interviewed this afternoon on Bristol's air quality by BBC Radio Bristol (94.9 FM). The station's breakfast programme will be doing a piece on air quality in Bristol tomorrow morning at 07:40 and 08:40. Do tune in!

Jo talks about Bristol Bright Night and air pollution research on Bristol Community Radio...

Jo was invited to speak, together with Maddy Bartlett from Bristol Natural History Consortium, on Bristol Community Radio (BCfm) last Saturday about the air pollution research she will be presenting at Bristol Bright Night this Friday. The interview can be found on http://bcfmradio.com/saturday – click on ‘10:00 - 20/09/2014’ and scroll to 10:30ish. For more info on the Bristol Bright Night go to http://www.bnhc.org.uk/festival-of-nature/bristol-bright-night-overview/.

Jo presents at RGS-IBG Annual International Conference

Both Tim and Jo attended the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) with IBG)) Annual International Conference on the Geographies of Co-production last week. The conference was very well-attended by academics from a wide range of fields within Geography and gave an excellent opportunity to deepen the understandings and perspectives of our research in a broader context. In the session entitled 'Social Justice, Mobility and Energy Demand', Jo presented initial analyse undertaken in the EPSRC-funded MOT project. The presentation on 'Air pollution and energy use in England and Wales - a social and environmental justice analysis' was very well-received and will form the basis of a forthcoming paper submitted to Environment and Planning A.

Its official.......Congrats to Dr Jo Barnes

Following 5 years of exceptionally hard work and dedication, Jo graduated yesterday having completed her PhD. Additionally, Jo was awarded FET DGEM Researcher of the Year 13/14 and the Nurul Leksmono Memorial Prize for the best PhD. Well done Jo, everyone at AQMRC and UWE are very proud of you!!

AQMRC wins Framework Agreements on Air, Climate Change and Noise for European Environment Agency

AQMRC has been selected by the European Environment Agency (EEA) as single operator for three major Framework Agreements in the areas of air (lot-1), climate change (lot-2) and environmental noise (lot-3). AQMRC will be undertaking these framework agreements with Triple E Consulting, as lead partner, TNO, Aether Ltd, ARCADIS Belgium, the Danish Centre of Environment and Energy (DCE), Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Oeko Institute, REC, Ricardo-AEA Ltd, RIVM, Transport and Mobility Leuven (TML) and the University of Barcelona (UAB).
The purpose of these Framework Agreements is to provide expert assistance in the areas of air, climate change and environmental noise to the EEA, in order to underpin its delivery of the multi-annual work programme 2014-2018 in the years 2014-2017. Across all lots of the Framework Agreement, EEA's operational objectives currently include supporting the identification of issues and policy measures; supporting the development of policy measures and the implementation of policies and legislation; tracking of progress towards the achievement of short- and long-term targets as defined in relevant EU and international policies; and the tracking of related transition processes for issues such as emission reductions, loads on ecosystems, air quality standards, human health impacts, climate change impacts, vulnerability and adaptation and related economic sectors.

Jo awarded 2013/14 FET DGEM Researcher of the Year

Congratulations to Jo who was this week awarded the accolade of 2013/14 Faculty Researcher of the Year for the Department of Geography and Environmental Management. Jo is a Research Fellow in the Air Quality Management Resource Centre who has recently defended, effectively, her part-time PhD. She has shown remarkable determination and collegiality working in a small team environment to progress significant externally funded projects in research and knowledge exchange as well as developing her leadership potential as an eaarly career researcher. Jo will be awarded £1000 of staff development funding to used during 2014/15.

Jo and Huw present at Public Health England Air Quality meeting

Jo and Huw both attended and presented at the 'Public Health England Annual Review Meeting on Outdoor and Indoor Air Pollution Research in the UK' in Solihull last week. Jo gave an oral and poster presentation on 'A Study Of Ozone Concentrations And Trends Across Europe: 1996-2010' and 'A Study of Ozone Exposure Across Europe: 2004-2010' based on work undertaken on behalf of the European Commission, and Huw presented a poster on the initial stages of his PhD, entitled '"Back to Basics" – a call for Local Air Quality Management to return to its public health roots'. The event was very well-attended by academics and practitioners in the fields of public health and air quality, presenting an opportunity for both sides to gain valuable insight into the fundamentals of air pollution epidemiology as well as the wider application and implications of this research.

Research Associate post advertised

The Air Quality Management Resource Centre in the Faculty of Environment and Technology at UWE, Bristol are seeking to appoint a Research Associate in Air Quality and Carbon Management. This research position offers an exciting opportunity to make a significant contribution to the future of air pollution and climate policy through high-level engagement with national and international bodies. The main duties are: 
• To undertake a variety of air quality and carbon analysis work, as part of the AQMRC team, for a range of high profile partners and clients. 
• To contribute to a range of air quality, climate change and energy policy analysis and development work. 
• To support a range of on-going air quality and carbon management research and consultancy projects.

Further details and applications can be made online at http://goo.gl/bxunlV and the closing date is 22nd June. For further details, please contact jo.barnes@uwe.ac.uk.

AQMRC's Global Research Impact

The AQMRC have a history of sharing expertise and developing partnerships through research globally, with resultant impact on policy development at home and abroad. Some specific examples of AQMRC's research impact are now provided on the UWE webpage (http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/research/researchimpact/improvingairquality.aspx) and you can also see details of our wide range of current and recent projects on our Research Project pages (http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/et/research/aqmrc/researchprojects.aspx).

UK deaths from air pollution mapped in Google

A new interactive map showing the data from the Public Health England report on deaths in over 25's from long-term exposure to PM2.5 has been published by the Guardian today - http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/interactive/2014/apr/10/air-pollution-deaths-uk-borough-interactive-map. It allows you to search by postcode to identify the effects of air pollution in your area, and the 'big picture' also shows a clear south-east predominance emanating from London, even across more sparesely-populated rural areas.

Jo presented at Air Quality Conference in Germany

Jo presented a 'Study on Ozone Concentrations and Trends in Europe: 1996-2010' at the 9th International Conference on Air Quality - Science and Application in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany on 27th March 2014. A pdf of the presentation can be downloaded here http://eprints.uwe.ac.uk/22820/. This was a presentation of research undertaken by Dr Tim Chatterton as part of a consortium contract for the European Commission to assess the reasons for non-compliance of ozone target value set by Directive 2008/50/EC and potential for air quality improvements in relation to ozone pollution. The summary report for this project is now available on the European Commission website as supporting documentation to assist in their review of the implementation of the Directive and can be accessed here: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/air/pdf/review/Final_ozone_report.pdf.
Jo commented: "This was an excellent conference, very well organised by Hertforshire University and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), with some fantastic presentations and posters. It was a great networking opportunity with nearly 300 delegates in attendance and plenty of opportunities for mingling and socialising. I would also like to thank the organisers for the opportunity to chair the final day's sessions on Air Quality Management and Policy."

Jo fields media enquiries about air pollution episode

In response to the media interest in the elevated pollution experienced over much of the UK today (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26844425), Jo made the following statement (http://info.uwe.ac.uk/news/UWENews/news.aspx?id=2791), which has been followed up in interviews including with the Daily Mail and the Bath Chronicle as well as tweeted and retweeted by UWE News and others (https://twitter.com/uwebristolnews/status/451329543698006016).

"While the high levels of air pollution that we are seeing this week across England and Wales are as a result of a combination of short-term meteorological factors and continental and Saharan sources, it is important to recognise that this is simply adding to and exacerbating existing long-term poor air quality experienced in many of our towns and cities much of the rest of the time. There are already more than 60% of UK local authorities with Air Quality Management Areas declared for exceedances of air quality objectives for nitrogen dioxide (NO­₂) and particulate matter (PM₁₀), primarily for traffic-related sources. In February 2014 the European Commission launched legal proceedings against the UK for its failure to cut excessive levels of NO₂. Technological solutions (e.g. Euro standard vehicles) have not delivered the expected reductions in pollutant emissions and resulting concentrations and behavioural changes (e.g. driving less) are difficult to bring about without greater public awareness and education about the effects of individual’s actions. It is therefore good to see that this week’s extreme pollution has made it onto the media and public consciousness, but I hope that it doesn’t give the false impression that once the rains come everything will be fine!"

Enda invited to join the Editorial Advisory Board of the Clean Air Journal

Enda has just joined the Editorial Advisory Board of the South African Clean Air Journal following an invite from the Journal Editors. The AQMRC team have contributed to the Journal on a number of occasions and this continues the close link that AQMRC has with government officials, academics and environmental practitioners in South Africa. The journal website is www.cleanairjournal.org.za.

 

Enda invited to Vietnam by the Mekong River Commission

Enda has been invited by the Mekong River Commission to present at their International Conference on ‘Cooperation for Water, Energy, and Food Security in Transboundary Basins under Changing Climate’ (Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam, 2-3 April 2014).  Enda will be presenting some of his nexus work looking at the strategic role that the Severn River Basin could play in delivering the UK’s 2050 ambitions of an 80% reduction in GHG. Enda will explore specific energy projects (such as tidal, nuclear and shale gas) that may deliver against the UKs decarbonisation plans but at what cost to water and food security.

 

Jo chairing and presenting at 9th International Conference on Air Quality

Jo will be attending the 9th International Conference on Air Quality in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany next week, where she will be presenting a paper on "Ozone Concentrations and Trends Across Europe: 1996-2010" and a poster on "Ozone Exposure Across Europe: 2004-2010". These were both developed from research undertaken by Dr Tim Chatterton as part of of a consortium contract for the European Commission to assess the reasons for non-compliance of ozone target value set by Directive 2008/50/EC and potential for air quality improvements in relation to ozone pollution. Jo has also been invited to chair a session on 'Air quality management and policy'. Further details about the conference can be found here: http://www.airqualityconference.org/

 

Irish ammonia impact project gathering pace

Following the Project Inception Meeting back in January, this collaborative project with University College Dublin investigating the impact of ammonia on Natura 2000 sites on behalf of the Irish EPA has started to gather pace. The project website can be found here - http://ssu.ie/research/ammonian2k/. Enda Hayes and Mark Everard are involved in this project, managing two work strands on Data Analysis/Modelling and Ecological Assessment.

Enda presenting at the Nexus 2014 Conference

Enda is in the US at the moment presenting at the Nexus 2014 Conference. Hosted in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the conference looks at the inter-connectivity of water, energy, food and climate. Enda is presenting on the work that UWE has done with Bristol City Council investigating low carbon futures for Bristol (www.futurebristol.co.uk)

Openair paper most popular download!!

The South African National Association for Clean Air Journal statistics indicated that our Openair paper is the most popular single paper downloaded from the current issue.  It appears that everyone loves a pretty graphic!!