Newsletter
PROMOTE
Integrated solutions for cleaner air for Delhi
Over 4 years, this integrated proposal aims to reduce uncertainties in air quality prediction and forecasting for Delhi by undertaking process orientated observational and modelling analyses and then to derive sensitivity relationships linking air pollutant concentrations and emission controls. This new knowledge will be critical to formulate effective mitigation solutions for reducing air pollution over Delhi and surrounding regions. PROMOTE brings together a cross-disciplinary team of leading researchers from India and the UK to deliver these aims by addressing three key questions:
Q1 What contribution is made by primary and secondary aerosols to the overall air pollution burden in Delhi during summer and winter conditions?
Q2 How do the interactions between boundary layer dynamics and long-range transport of air pollution contribute to the local air quality of Delhi?
Q3 By taking account of local, urban and regional sources, what are the most effective emission controls for mitigation interventions that will lead to significant reductions in air pollution and exposure levels over Delhi and the wider National Capital Region?
PROMOTE will address Q1 and Q2 by improving the representation of aerosol and boundary layer processes in the existing SAFAR air quality forecasting system. It will extend the capabilities of SAFAR to provide higher resolution predictions of air quality and, through an integrated modelling framework it will examine the sensitivities of air pollutant concentrations to changes in local, urban and regional air pollution contributions to address Q3. PROMOTE will contribute to both Theme 2 (Processes: physical and chemical) and Theme 4 (Mitigations and interventions) of the Air Pollution and Human Health in an Indian Megacity (APHH) programme by cooperating with other APHH projects and provide new knowledge to identify effective mitigation solutions for reducing air pollution in Delhi.
Project objectives
Specific research objectives that address our three key questions are:
O1 To examine the contribution of secondary aerosols to the air pollution burden in Delhi during distinct meteorological seasons by developing a new representative model scheme for subtropical urban environments (Q1);
O2 To investigate how boundary layer interactions lead to high air pollution events during pre-monsoon and stable winter fog periods affecting Delhi (Q2);
O3 To quantify local, urban and regional contributions to Delhi’s air quality through an improved understanding of aerosols, long-range transport and boundary layer processes (Q2);
O4 To undertake an operational and diagnostic evaluation of the SAFAR air quality forecasting system for Delhi incorporating improved organic aerosol, aerosol-fog and boundary layer process representations (Q1, Q2);
O5 To develop the first coupled local-urban-regional modelling system for predicting high resolution concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, NO2 and other pollutants with source attribution and then to quantify sensitivity response relationships for developing effective mitigation strategies for Delhi (Q2, Q3);
O6 To synthesise and translate the outcomes of PROMOTE with other APHH projects for providing datasets for exposure and health studies and contributing to a roadmap for implementing effective local and regional mitigation strategies to meet current and future compliance and health requirements in Delhi and NCR (Q3).
Through our analysis, we will deliver new knowledge on how local, urban and regional (LRT) sources of air pollution affect Delhi’s air quality. With an improved OA scheme and improved understanding of BL dynamics, sensitivities between air pollutant concentrations and changes in local (e.g. traffic, industrial) and regional (LRT) contributions will be quantified with a new coupled multiscale modelling system for recommending interventions and mitigation options for Delhi.
PROMOTE will combine a comprehensive suite of observations and modelling systems to address the research objectives through closely coupled work packages (WPs).
WMO Session on “Guide for Integrated Urban Weather, Environment and Climate Services (IUWECS)”
The Integrated Urban Weather, Environment and Climate Services (IUWECS) is a new initiative from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) that seeks to provide science-based integrated urban services supporting safe, healthy and resilient cities. As part of that initiative, a Guide for IUWECS is being developed. The CitiesIPCC conference provides an excellent opportunity to present and receive feedback from attendees on the guide because the conference falls within the period for open community review.
The intent of the IUWECS Guide is to document the best available knowledge, technologies and practices for producing and providing the relevant services that cities require to respond to the hazards posed by climate change. Such services include a combination of dense observation networks, high-resolution forecasts, multi-hazard early warning systems, and climate services. These services should assist cities in setting and implementing mitigation and adaptation strategies, which will enable the building of resilient and thriving cities that promote the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Guide also plans to include a multidisciplinary approach to better serve the social-economic needs of urban areas, and identify the required partnerships to establish and sustain urban services, including research, city governments, international organizations, and private sector stakeholders.
The session presentations will provide an introduction to IUWECS and share cities’ different local foci and practical experiences. Feedback will be obtained from participants on desired services, products and requirements for developing effective multidisciplinary partnerships among urban/city governments with meteorological and other key agencies.
Session Agenda
Welcome and Introduction: Prof. James Voogt, President of International Association for Urban Climate (IAUC)
Introduction to the IUWECS (15 min): Prof. Alexander Baklanov, WMO
'The City-Know-How' (10 min for each demonstration city): Share cities' different local foci and spotlight on real practical experiences
- Hong Kong - An experience from a high-density city: Dr. Chao Ren, Hong Kong University
- Toronto – Atmospheric monitoring in Toronto: From the PanAm games to GHGs, Dr. Felix Vogel, ECCC, Canada
- Mexico City - Towards a fully integrated urban weather environment climate service in Mexico City: Tanya Müller, Secretary of the Environment, Mexico City; Dr. Beatriz Cardenas, SEDEMA; and Dr. Luisa Molina, MIT/MCE2, USA
- Paris - Services for Adaptation Strategies to Climate Change:Dr. Valery Masson, MeteoFrance
Reducing SLCP Across LAC
Progress and Opportunities for Reducing Short-lived Climate Pollutants across Latin America and the Caribbean
This technical report, Progress and Opportunities for Reducing Short-lived Climate Pollutants across Latin America and the Caribbean, reviews examples of initiatives and measures that have successfully reduced emissions of black carbon, methane and some hydrofluorocarbons in Latin America and the Caribbean, the three short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) considered by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition. The report addresses the feasibility of implementing the identified measures and policies in key sectors that could be replicated or scaled up to achieve air quality improvement and near-term climate protection. As demonstrated in this report, countries in Latin America and the Caribbean region have made significant progress in reducing the emissions from key sectors of short-lived climate pollutants through a small number of identified measures. The governments across the region have the opportunity to achieve lasting benefits for public health, the environment and climate by creating an enabling environment for wider implementation of the identified measures through effective legal and institutional frameworks, appropriate public-private partnerships, economic incentives, and dedicated research and development. More rapid and wider implementation of the identified measures in the region can lead to improved agricultural competitiveness and food security, reduced damages from cumulative effects such as sea-level rise, melting rate of glaciers, and biodiversity loss in the region, as well as provide better air quality for the citizens, especially women, children and the poor.
“The short-lived climate pollutant agenda puts a human face on climate mitigation. It’s about health. It’s about development. It’s about addressing issues that are overlooked when you view that climate mitigation is only about solar panels and electric vehicles. It is deeply rooted in the Sustainable Development Goals. It’s about gender inequality of women exposed to indoor air pollution. It’s about the right for clean and affordable energy. It’s about protecting terrestrial ecosystems from deforestation. It’s about addressing waste management. It’s about implementing refrigeration solutions that don’t destroy the ozone layer, nor cause climate change. It´s the type of climate policy all developing countries should adopt.” Dr. Marcelo Mena, Minister of Environment, Chile, March 2017-March 2018
“The effective application of knowledge facing the great environmental problems of this century requires a proper association between science, technology, economy, public policies and social interest. The Technical Report represents a good example regarding the research approaches that can trigger that kind of association -- regional actions that can make a difference on several fronts, all at once: public health, food and energy security, ecosystems protection and climate. The magnitude of the challenge towards facilitating widespread implementation of existing technologies and practices nationally and regionally for reduction of SLCPs must be tackled with strategies at different levels, establishing synergies between sectorial actions, local, regional and global strategies, as well as time horizons to strengthen and accelerate the medium- and long-term goals of mitigation and adaptation.” Dr. Amparo Martínez Arroyo, General Director, National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change, Mexico
Habitat III
Habitat III is the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development to take place in Quito, Ecuador, in October 2016.
In resolution 66/207 and in line with the bi-decennial cycle (1976, 1996 and 2016), the United Nations General Assembly decided to convene the Habitat III Conference to reinvigorate the global commitment to sustainable urbanization, to focus on the implementation of a New Urban Agenda, building on the Habitat Agenda of Istanbul in 1996.
The Conference welcomes the participation of all Member States and relevant stakeholders, including parliamentarians, civil society organizations, regional and local government and municipality representatives, professionals and researchers, academia, foundations, women and youth groups, trade unions, and the private sector, as well as organizations of the United Nations system and intergovernmental organizations.
Habitat III will be the first UN global summit after the adoption of the Post-2015 Development Agenda and, hopefully, a new climate change agreement.
17 – 20 October 2016, Quito, Ecuador
https://www.habitat3.org/the-new-urban-agenda/about
Habitat III Issue Papers -CITIES AND CLIMATE CHANGE AND DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT
White Paper Drafting Workshop
La Paz, Bolivia, June 17-20, 2014
The second meeting from the PISAC team was held on June 17-20, 2014 and hosted by the Laboratory for Atmospheric Physics, Institute for Physics Research, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés in La Paz, Bolivia.
The objectives of the workshop included reviewing and updating the different sections of the PISAC white paper; getting acquainted with current initiatives and projects and exploring collaboration opportunities; and visiting the Chacaltaya GAW station.
The workshop was attended by lead authors of the white paper; other PISAC colleagues also participated via Skype. Additional presentations included evolution of the Andes cryosphere, satellite mapping of open burning, and modeling.
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