Strategies to control emissions to the atmosphere & their environmental impacts

Research within the Integrated Assessment Unit (IAU) is focused on the development of national and international policy on control of emissions to the atmosphere and their environmental impacts. Despite improvements in air quality in Europe there are still serious problems for human health and protection of the natural environment. Many of the human activities contributing to air pollution problems at local to transboundary scales also generate greenhouse gas emissions. Thus air quality issues and climate change are closely linked, such that strategies to address the former can affect the latter, and vice versa. There are both environmental and economic benefits from considering both together.

The Integrated Assessment Unit has many years experience in research on control of transboundary air pollution, closely linked to the development of international protocols under the Convention on Long-Range Transport of Air Pollution of the UN Economic Commission for Europe. It also undertakes more detailed studies at the UK scale related to compliance with EC legislation under the Clean Air For Europe programme, and attainment of objectives for improved urban air quality. This work is now extending to the synergies between control of air quality pollutants and greenhouse gases. Increasingly the reduction of atmospheric emissions in Europe and the UK needs to be set in the context of changing emissions elsewhere in the world. The IAU interacts strongly with other DEFRA contractors and is the base for the UK National Focal Centre for Integrated Assessment Modelling. Find out more about Integrated Assessment Modelling.

Applications

• Transport
• Energy
• Agricultural

The UK National Focal Centre for Integrated Assessment Modelling

As the base for the UK National Focal Centre for Integrated Assessment Modelling, the IAU collaborates with related research both nationally and internationally.  An increasing number of countries are developing similar national focal centres, interacting with the work of the UN ECE and of  IIASA.

Relevant Publications

• Apsimon H, Amann M, Astrom S, Oxley T, 2009, Synergies in addressing air quality and climate change, CLIMATE POLICY, Vol:9, Pages:669-680, ISSN:1469-3062(abstract publication doi)
• Further publications can be found on pages relating to ASAM, UKIAM and transport modelling