EMISSIONS & AIR QUALITY Smart Class, South 2021

“A National Approach to Air Pollution – Advancing the Action Plan” – The UK Government and local authorities are coming under increasing pressure to take ambitious urgent action to reduce air pollution, cited by local leaders and Public Health England as a “public health emergency”. As populations continue to grow in city regions, and these city regions continue to face challenges of pollution from road traffic and the burning of wet wood, improving air quality will mean more people, especially children, live healthier lives. UK100, a network of 96 local authorities committed to taking ambitious action to secure clean energy and clean air, has been at the forefront of co-ordinated action to advocate for a national approach to tackle air pollution. Following two national and one international Clean Air Summits over the last two years, convened in partnership with the Mayor of London and Mayors and city leaders from across the UK, priorities for action have been agreed by local leaders. Within the changing landscape of legislation, policy and delivery of on-the-ground programmes – including clean air zones – this keynote from UK100’s Clean Air Cities & Policy Director will discuss why these priorities must be taken forward if we are to have a healthy and productive future.

“Air Quality Best Practice in the City of London” – In September 2019, the City of London released its updated Air Quality Strategy, laying out policy and action to deliver improved air quality over the next 5 years. At the heart of the Mayor’s Ultra Low Emission Zone, with 500,000 daily commuters and only 9,000 residents, and an ear in Parliament, the City of London is in a unique position to address local air pollution. This keynote presentation will look at recent pollution trends, the importance of collaboration with other policy makers and on-the-ground initiatives and innovations (ranging from Air Quality Monitoring, the City Low Emission Neighbourhood, CityAir app, CityAir Business programme and Clean Air Thames project to the LowCity fleet emissions scheme, ULEVs, EV charging points and actions to deal with idling vehicle engines and buildings emissions) that the City Corporation is taking/deploying to improve air quality in the Square Mile.

“Innovation in Construction – Building by Example” – In delivering the HS2 Air Quality Strategy commitments to avoid and minimise impacts from construction on local Air Quality, HS2 has set strict emission requirements for both on- and off-road vehicles and plant. HS2 aims to raise the bar on vehicle emission standards and leave a legacy for future projects, by becoming industry leaders in setting vehicle emissions standards and extending them across the country. They are determined to use the project’s scale and duration to help cut the release of harmful combustion engine emissions by stipulating contractors building Britain’s new high speed rail network use the cleanest vehicles and machinery available. This keynote presentation – to be co-delivered by HS2’s Phase 1 Air Quality Lead, Andrea, and Head of Environmental Sciences, Neil – will touch on the key commitments HS2 has made from an Air Quality perspective, highlighting some of the key challenges to date and overviewing some of the major innovations HS2 has deployed.

“The Air that We Breathe: Enabling Hyper-Local Air Quality Monitoring with Emerging Technologies” – Government and local authorities globally are coming under increasing legislative pressure to better monitor air quality, and to deploy and actively manage ‘clean air zones’ across our cities. By 2050 a huge populations shift will have resulted in 70% of the world’s populations living in urban areas. This seismic shift is driving Smart City initiatives globally. 44% of UK councils currently do not have fit-for-purpose air and pollution monitoring capabilities (The Independent, 2017). With a more stringent government Air Quality Plan about to come into force, councils face significant fines if they are not compliant. Welsh tech company Vortex IoT will deliver a thought-provoking view of the importance of the ‘Air that We Breathe’, and explain how emerging technologies and innovation will contribute to our ever-changing societal needs and how developing a new Hyper-Local Air Quality Monitoring (AQM) solution can provide revenue-generating opportunities for local authorities and play a key role in the creation of new urban business models that are essential as the shape of our towns and cities changes over time.

“How to Effectively Manage and Enforce Clean Air and Low Emission Zones with Virtual Permits and Digital ANPR” – A recent UN pollution report found that air in 44 UK cities and towns is too dangerous to breathe and estimated over 40,000 premature deaths per year from road polluted air. Imperial and Videalert demonstrate that the move towards managing air quality needn’t be a giant leap into the unknown and can be achieved by simply utilising proven technologies in a way that will make a very real difference to the quality of life in our cities and towns.