ClairCity newsletter ClairCity newsletter December 2019 | Page 8

Air
quality
news
ClairCity
Conference
Sustainable futures? PM tension
The World Energy Outlook 2019
was released in November,
detailing three possible energy
futures and what is required to
limit global warming. Levels of PM 2.5 appear to have
reached a plateau across Europe,
after more than a decade of
gradual reductions. The pollutant is
now deemed the biggest global risk
factor for death
In response, the IEA is calling for a
“grand coalition encompassing
governments, investors, companies
and everyone else who is
committed to tackling climate
change”.
Sydney’s air quality reaches
dangerous levels
Air pollution protests in the
Netherlands
Farmers took to the roads in
October, driving their tractors to
the Hague to fight back against
new rules on nitrogen emissions.
Continuing bushfires in New South
Wales have led to plumes of toxic
smoking sweeping their way into
nearby towns and cities. In
Sydney, levels reached 11 times
hazardhous levels, with some
claiming the air is unbreathable.
The disgruntled farmers felt they
were being hurt the most from the
changes.
This follows a EU court ruling that
found Dutch rules for granting
building and farming permits in
breach of EU law for protecting
nature from NOx and NH4.
Woodburning in Bristol
An article on the air pollution
impacts of woodburning stoves
published in Bristol247 this month
sparked debate across the city
after it reported: “a single
woodburning stove, which meets
all European regulations, emits
around the same amount of
particulates as six modern diesel
lorries or 18 modern diesel cars”.
Our colleague Dr Jo Barnes spoke
about the science on BBC Radio
Bristol on 11 th December.
Horizon 2020
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research
and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 689289.
Our final issue: Looking to the future
Making an impact We will be reflecting our final conference, March
19th 2020, Brussels, and looking beyond ClairCity
to explore what next for a future with clean air
Showcasing our research findings with graphics and
information to share.
EU update
Policies and actions across the EU make an impact
on our cities and regions.
Meet the team
Two more of our ClairCity team will answer
questions and share their interests in the project.
Newsletter acknowledgements:
Graphics by Point Creative: www.point-creative.com
Content by Science Communication Unit at UWE Bristol www.uwe.ac.uk/research/sciencecommunicationunit
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