NERAM V Colloquium

Strategic Policy Directions
for
Air Quality Risk Management

October 16-18, 2006
Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, Simon Fraser University
Vancouver, BC

NERAM Guidance Document on Air Quality Risk Management
(PDF of entire document)

Executive Summary (PDF)

Chapter 1 - Introduction (PDF)

Chapter 2 - Air Quality and Human Health (PDF)

Chapter 3 - Emission Inventories, Air Quality Measurements and Modeling: Guidance on Their Use for Air Quality Risk Management (PDF)

Chapter 4 - Air Quality Management Approaches and Evidence of Effectiveness (PDF)

Chapter 5 - Emerging Challenges and Opportunities in the Development of Clean Air Policy Strategies (PDF)

Biographies (PDF)

POWER POINT PRESENTATIONS

Conference Summary, Dan Krewski

Matching the Metric to Need: Modelling Exposures to Traffic-related Air Pollution for Policy Support, David Briggs, Kees de Hoogh and John Gulliver

Ambient Air Quality Measurement for Policy Decisions, Jeffrey Brook

Joint Air Quality and Climate Change Strategies: Challenges and Opportunities, Quentin Chiotti, et al.

The Global Burden of Disease Due to Urban Air Pollution: Estimates and Uncertainties, Aaron Cohen

Policy Case Studies for North America, Bart Croes

Urban Air Quality Management Capability of Selected Asian Cities 2006 Update, Kong Ha

Air Pollution in Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta, Anthony Hedley, et al.

The Use of Source Apportionment for Air Quality Management and Health Assessments, Philip Hopke

Greater Vancouver Regional DistrictAir Quality Management, Hugh Kellas

How do Montreal’s Heart and Lung Patients Cope with Smog? Tom Kosatsky, et al.

Why is Air Pollution a Global Public Health Problem? Dan Krewski

Mortality Risk Valuation for Air Quality Policy, Alan Krupnick

Science and Policy for Global Air Quality Management, Michal Krzyzanowski

U.S.-Canada Cooperation: The U.S.-Canada Air Quality Agreement, Brian McLean and Jane Barton

Environmental Justice in Air Quality Policy Development, Marie O'Neill

Improving Emission Inventories inNorth America, William Pennell

Impact of Air Pollution on Public Health: Transportability of Risk Estimates, Jonathan Samet

Emerging Issues and Opportunities for Air Quality Management, Jonathan Samet

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Interventions:Accountability, Annemoon van Erp

Policy Case Studies from Europe, Martin Williams and Matti Vainio

Future Directions for Global Air Quality Management, Martin Williams

For the next decade, poor air quality will continue to threaten public health in developed and developing countries, even in spite of many improvements and investment. A large body of scientific information is now available to suggest health impacts from air pollution may be significant and guidance is needed to identify preferred air quality management policy options. However, substantial uncertainties still remain, hampering effective policy measures with high health benefit-abatement cost ratios. Recent research has begun to focus on integrative evidence-based policy analysis to guide air quality objectives, standard setting, clean air implementation plans and urban planning decisions. There are, however, still a number of pressing issues:

• Further emission reductions to meet air quality and health objectives may require measures at high costs for society and the economy in some highly developed countries. This situation creates a dilemma for decision-makers and regulators.
• Lack of knowledge of which particulate matter components and emission sources are most harmful to human health.
• Rising background concentrations of some pollutants may further contribute to health impacts.
• The transboundary nature of emissions requires an international component to air quality management strategies.
• Integrated environmental policy approaches are urgently needed linking air quality, climate change, planning and development of transport and urban and regional planning, and technology transition processes to achieve sustainable solutions for future generations.

NERAM V (2006), the fifth and capstone conference in the NERAM Colloquium series, will feature a Guidance Document to provide air quality decision-makers and managers and public health officials with clear direction for evidence-based, integrated risk management planning. It will look at the current state of science and policy analysis in Canada, the US, Europe and Asia and provide a forward-looking perspective on emerging challenges and opportunities for air quality risk management in relation to other environmental and sustainability policies. The document will highlight lessons learned from NERAM Colloquia I-IV which have tracked the rapid international developments in the air quality management science-policy interface over the last five years.

Why should you attend?

Projections indicating non-attainment of air quality objectives in many regions of the world make this Colloquium timely. The NERAM V Guidance Document will provide a forward-looking ‘milestone’ platform to support ongoing comprehensive policy approaches to reducing air pollution and improving health.
The Conference will also address the need for international partnerships and processes for development of air quality standards, monitoring of air quality, and tools and techniques for policy analysis and development.

Audience

• National and international air quality regulators
• Air issues policy analysts
• Air quality/health effects scientists
• Local/state/provincial air quality managers
• Public health officials

Session Themes

• Why will air pollution continue to be a public health concern for years to come?
• What measurement, monitoring and modeling tools are available to guide air effective quality management strategies?
• What evidence is available from the evaluation of implemented air quality policies to guide effective local, regional and global air quality management strategies?
• What emerging challenges and opportunities are important in the development of sustainable clean air policy strategies considering possible co-benefits with other environmental policies?

Format

The conference presentations and discussions will be structured around an integrative air quality management Guidance Document that is being written by an invited panel of international experts in the science and policy aspects of air quality management. The Guidance Document will be distributed in draft form in advance of the conference. Presentations and discussions will focus on emerging issues and implications for air quality management. The Guidance Document will be finalized following the conference to incorporate the collective thinking of the Conference participants.

Sponsors (as of Nov. 2005)

• BC Ministry of Environment
• CPPI
• Health Canada
• Ontario Ministry of the Environment
• Environment Canada
• USEPA
• Shell International
• + others

Planning Committee

Michael Brauer, University of British Columbia
Quentin Chiotti, Pollution Probe
Ray Copes, BC Centre for Disease Control
Bart Croes, California Air Resources Board
Lorraine Craig, NERAM
Jacobo Finkelman, PAHO
Vincenza Galatone, Environment Canada
Geoff Granville, CPPI
Daniel Krewski, McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment
Michal Krzyzanowski, WHO, Regional Office for Europe
Glen Okrainetz, BC Ministry of Environment
Franck Portalupi, Environment Canada
John Shortreed, NERAM
Leendert van Bree, Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency
Matti Vainio, European Commission, Environment Directorate-General
John Vandenberg, US EPA
Martin Williams, UK Department of Environment