AQN Magazine - Issue 5 - October 2020

Issue 5

October 2020

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Hydrogen Revolution all aboard the Bamford bus Understanding the true risks of EV fires

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Editorial Comment and Contacts

Welcome to Air Quality News magazine Contacts Publisher: David Harrison d.harrison@spacehouse.co.uk 01625 614 000 Group Editor: Jamie Hailstone jamie@airqualitynews.com 01625 614 000 Journalist: Pippa Neill pippa@airqualitynews.com 01625 666 396 Advertising Director: Andy Lees andy@airqualitynews.com 01625 666 390 Finance Manager: Jenny Leach jenny@spacehouse.co.uk 01625 614 000 Administration: Jenny Odgen admin@spacehouse.co.uk 01625 614 000 Subscriptions: Andrew Harrison subscriptions@airqualitynews.com 01625 614 000 Published 4 times a year Annual Subscription - £19.95 +VAT

Air Quality News - published by Spacehouse Ltd, Pierce House, Pierce Street, Macclesfield. SK11 6EX. Tel: 01625 614 000

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Autumn is traditionally a season associated with big changes. Normally, these changes involve school terms, leaves turning yellow and a hunt for that winter pullover, which may or may not, be where you left it six months ago. Here at Air Quality News, there have also been a few changes and I am delighted to say this is my first issue as group editor.

The more observant of you may have spotted my name in previous issues and on the AQN website, but if that is not the case then please allow me to introduce myself. I have been a journalist for more than 20 years, both online and in print.

Before working on Air Quality News and its sister publications Environment Journal, New Start and Social Care Today, I spent a decade writing about local government for The Municipal Journal. And on the sustainability side, I have also news edited Utility Week and contributed to prominent titles like Edie, Public Sector Energy and Water and Wastewater Treatment.

I’m looking forward to building on the excellent work of my predecessor, Thomas Barrett, who has been at the helm of this magazine for the last year. Fortunately, or unfortunately, there is plenty to write about as we keep up with the latest news.

In this issue, you will find an in-depth interview with JCB heir Jo Bamford on hydrogen buses.

Much has been written over whether the future of transport lies with electric vehicles and hydrogen-power vehicles and Bamford has plenty to say on the matter.

In addition, reporter Pippa Neill speaks exclusively to Helena Molin Valdés, the head of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) Secretariat at the UN Environment office in Paris about the importance of a global approach to air pollution.

We also have columns from the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU), Client Earth and an article by researchers from the University of Leeds about air pollution in China during lockdown.

As I said at the start, autumn is traditionally a season of change. You don’t need me to tell you that 2020 has already seen plenty of those already. As the first period of lockdown faded in the summer, air quality was making headlines again with cities around the country reporting improvements. Right now, there are a lot of questions about whether full-blown lockdown measures could return again, and what this could mean for the economy, the government and the environment. Whitehall and councils are likely to be under severe financial strain because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In such a situation, there is always a danger that the environment and sustainability could slip down the political agenda. But hopefully, as this issue proves, the case for a greener economy and action over air quality has never been stronger. Change must come and not a moment too soon.

Jamie Hailstone, editor.

Printed on FSC certified paper stock, using vegetable oil inks.

Fulfilment and distribution using 100% recycled envelopes.

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Contents

Features Contents Page 6-8: News

Page 10-12: Feature

Page 6-8 News:

Page 24-26 Feature: All aboard the Bamford hydrogen bus revolution

Page 14-16: Feature

Page 18-20: Feature

Page 24-26: Feature

Page 28-29: Indoor

Page 30-31: The Big Interview Page 10-12 Feature: Electric Vehicle Fires – should we be concerned?

Page 28-29 Indoor: Indoor Air Quality – Getting it Right for Health and Productivity

Page 32: Local Government interview

Page 33-34: Local Government

Page 35: Legislation

Page 36: Marketplace Page 14-16 Feature: Did Chinese air quality improve during the COVID-19 lockdown?

Page 18-20 Feature: Poland needs immediate and bold air quality action

Page 30-31 The Big Interview: Helena Molin Valdés, head of the United Nations Climate & Clean Air Coalition

Page 33-34 Local Government: Are climate change declarations delivering change?

Page 37: Jobs

Thanks to our contributors: Helena Molin Valdés, Jo Bamford, Ben Silver, Dominic Spracklen, Agnieszka Warso-Buchanan, Tiffany Cloynes

Partners

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News

in brief Public consultation on Greater Manchester Clean Air Zone Greater Manchester to hold two major public consultations on key elements of the proposed Clean Air Zone (CAZ).

Lockdown saw huge improvements to air quality across Manchester, however, since restrictions have been eased air pollution has already quickly returned, with many sites now above the legal limits.

In order to discuss the proposed CAZ, residents from across the region will be encouraged to have their say through the consultations, which will run from October 8 to December 3.

Experts warn of dangerous air pollution from wildfires As wildfires continue to destroy parts of America health experts have warned the public about the dangerous levels of air pollution.

From January 1 wildfires have been ravaging huge parts of America, to date, there have over 41,000 wildfires destroying an estimated 4.7 million acres of land.

Not only do these wildfires pose an imminent risk to those in the area, but they also pose a long-term health risk in the form of air pollution.

Carried with the smoke is particulate matter (PM2.5) – one of the most dangerous air pollutants to human health.

New campaign to encourage parents to rethink car journeys Clean air campaign group Mums for Lungs have organised a new poster campaign as part of Car Free Day to encourage parents to adopt active travel.

More than 100 parents have taken part in the guerrilla campaign, with over 2,000 posters appearing outside schools and nurseries in 30 local authorities across England and Wales.

Mums for Lungs have been campaigning for three years for action from both local and national government and they have recently created a range of resources to help support parents, residents, and councils to reduce air pollution outside the school gate.

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Air Quality News to team up with Global Action Plan for Clean Air Day LIVE On October 8, Air Quality News will collaborate with Global Action Plan for this year’s Clean Air Day.

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he day’s events will be streamed for free on the Air Quality News and Clean Air Day websites.

The event will involve a full day of virtual programmes with a focus on clean air activities.

There will also be scheduled events aimed specifically at schools, campaigners, local and national authorities, health professionals, businesses and the general public.

Clean Air Day usually comprises of events and gatherings all around the country, last year saw more than 600 events attracting almost half a million people.

This year, in order to ensure that the events are COVID

secure, they will all take place virtually.

The charity is still encouraging hundreds of schools, businesses, local authorities, health organisations,

universities, charities and community groups to play their part in cleaning up our air, Global Action Plan aims to make this the cleanest Clean Air Day yet.

Air pollution particles found in the placenta, new study Air pollution particles have been found in the placentas of fifteen women, according to a new study published by researchers at Queen Mary University in London.

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he researchers analysed the placentas of 15 healthy women following the birth of their children.

The cells in the placentas were then analysed using a

range of techniques and in all of the placentas the researchers found black particles that closely resembled particulate matter (PM2.5).

The majority of the particles found in the cells were carbon-

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based, but the researchers also found trace amounts of metals.

Analysis of these particles strongly suggests that they originated from traffic-related sources and the metals found were associated with fossil fuel combustion and vehicle brakewear.

All of the women were from London and the researchers estimated that they had all been exposed to air pollution above the World Health Organisation (WHO) limit for PM2.5.

The researchers have said that these findings demonstrate that inhaled PM2.5 pollution can move from the lungs to distant organs where it can then be taken up by certain cells in the human placenta and potentially the foetus.

News

Sulphur dioxide pollution doubled during lockdown Sulphur dioxide pollution more than doubled in the first 100 days of lockdown, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Liverpool.

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n order to see how lockdown measures have affected air pollution, the researchers analysed data from DEFRA air-quality sensors and the UK Met Office stations.

The analysis revealed that during the lockdown period (from March 23 to June 13) nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels were cut by half, which the researchers have said is due to the reduction in vehicle emissions.

However, surprisingly, the researchers found that levels of sulphur dioxide (SO2) pollution, which is typically created by industry were more than double that of previous years.

Dr Jonny Higham, who led the study said: ‘The results of our analysis are surprising.

‘It is evident that the

reduction in motor vehicles and human activity had a substantial impact on air quality as demonstrated by the reduction in nitrogen oxide.

‘We think these changes to SO2 could be driven by

an in-balance in the complex air chemistry near to the surface of the earth, which is then exacerbated by the meteorological conditions in particularly low humidity levels.’

Air pollution in world’s major cities back to pre-lockdown levels Air pollution in major global cities has seen a significant surge following the easing of lockdown restrictions, according to recent analysis conducted by Instant Offices.

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nstant Offices used data from the World Air Quality Index in order to compare particulate matter (PM2.5) levels in 15 major cities between February and May and June and July.

During peak lockdown, air pollution fell in Hong Kong by 16%, in Sydney by 13%, and in Singapore by 14%.

However, the researchers found that as lockdown restrictions have been

eased, Beijing, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town and New York saw a double-digit increase in PM2.5 levels.

New York saw a considerable dip in PM2.5 during peak lockdown when pollution levels dropped by 59%. However, as things in the city have slowly started to return to normal air pollution has already reached pre-lockdown levels.

John Williams, head of marketing at the Instant Group said: ‘Now, as life slowly returns to normal around the world, our air quality comparison across 15 major cities reveals that while some are still benefitting from cleaner air, others have seen pollution skyrocket.’

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in brief in brief New partnership to help accelerate EV uptake Octopus Energy to partner with Volkswagen to help fast-track uptake of electric vehicles (EVs).

For the partnership, the Volkswagen group will offer customers in the UK who move to Octopus Energy’s renewable energy tariff and purchase a VW EV a £90 energy voucher.

For the ID.3 Volkswagen EV, this equates to 8,000 free miles.

The offer will also be available to existing Octopus Energy customers who purchase an EV from one of the participating Volkswagen brands.

Air pollution exposure increases stroke risk Exposure to air pollution can increase the risk of stroke in people who already suffer from heart problems, according to a new study published by JAMA Network Open.

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh analysed the health data of more than 31,000 adults who suffer from atrial fibrillation.

The researchers found that for every 6% increase in the levels of particulate matter (PM2.5), the risk of stroke for adults with the heart condition increased by 8%.

Of the patients included in the study, 1,546 suffered a stroke during the eight-year study period.

Are plug-in hybrid cars worse for the environment?

Currently accounting for 3% of new car sales, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are sold as low-carbon alternatives to fossil fuel and conventional hybrid cars. But a new report threatens to shatter their green credentials.

Research from the pressure groups Transport and Environment and Greenpeace has claimed that CO₂ emissions from plug-in hybrid cars are ‘two and a half times’ higher than tests by manufacturers suggest.

While these official figures place the average emissions from plug-in hybrid vehicles at 44g of CO₂ per kilometre, the new report argues that it’s more like 120g on roads.

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in brief Residents welcome low traffic neighbourhood A resident powered Low Traffic Neighbourhood in Brixton has been welcomed by 75% of local residents, according to a new survey.

Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTN) are groups of residential streets where ‘through’ motor vehicle traffic is discouraged or removed.

If approved, the Railton LTN will see that vehicles can drive to the closure points from one direction or the other but cannot drive through. This means that every single property can be accessed by a motor vehicle, but the streets will no longer be available as a traffic cut through.

Scottish Government extends interest-free EV loan scheme The Scottish Government has announced its interest-free Low Carbon Transport Loan has been extended to allow businesses or individuals to also use the funding to purchase a used electric vehicle.

Delivered through the Energy Saving Trust, it is hoped that the change in the loan will help to reduce air quality and also help people and businesses who previously could not afford to purchase a new electric vehicle.

The public can receive up to £20,000, interest-free, repayable over five years.

M6 dubbed England’s most EV friendly motorway The M6 is the most electric vehicle (EV) friendly motorway in England, according to a report by CarGurus.

According to the research, the M6, which is the UK’s longest motorway and connects the West Midlands to the North West of England has charge points on average every 14.5 miles along its 232-mile route.

The researchers also found that the M74 in Scotland is the most EV friendly motorway in the whole of the UK. While the 32-mile M60 Manchester ring road lacks any EV charging facilities whatsoever.

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Researchers warn of links between PM2.5 and COVID-19 Just a 1 µgm3 increase in particulate matter (PM2.5) correlates with a 7% increase in COVID-19 mortality, according to a new study published in the journal Environment Research Letters.

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hile data is still emerging, a growing body of early evidence has suggested that long-term exposure to air pollution might cause an increased likelihood of severe outcomes from COVID-19.

In order to test this, researchers from the State University of New York have investigated how the 2014 National Air Toxic Assessment

for hazardous air pollutants is related to COVID-19 mortality.

As of July 11, in the U.S there were 129,832 confirmed cases and deaths attributed to COVID-19.

When controlling for known socioeconomic and behavioural health influences, the researchers found that just a 1 µgm3 increase in PM2.5 and 1ppb increase in ozone concentrations correlates with a 7% and 2% increase in COVID-19 mortality respectively.

Based on this, the authors of the study have said that PM2.5 exposure may provide one possible explanation as to why some more polluted counties, such as Georgia and Louisiana, have experienced higher mortality rates than urban areas.

The researchers have highlighted that going forward, enforcing air pollution limits will be essential in order to provide public health benefits to the whole of society.

Improving air quality could help children suffering from poor lung function Reducing air pollution around schools could halve the number of children suffering from lung function so poor it affects their everyday lives, according to research conducted by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL).

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ccording to the research, a reduction in air pollution during the lockdown period saw asthma attacks in children almost disappear.

The researchers have highlighted that the most positive improvements to children’s lung function are likely to be realised if changes are made at schools in the most

polluted areas of the country.

Based on these findings, Global Action Plan and the Phillips Foundation, who commissioned the research, have formed a coalition with other charities to call for nationwide action to improve air quality in and around schools.

Chris Large, Co-CEO at Global Action Plan said: ‘Local authorities must take advantage

of free tools such as the Clean Air for Schools Framework, as the analysis by Queen Mary University of London shows, air pollution impacts the daily lives of so many children.

‘But they must act now.

The results of our most recent “Build Back Cleaner Air” report found that clean air practices can help to reduce the spread and exacerbation of COVID-19.

Polestar calls for more transparency in the automotive industry Polestar calls on the car industry to become more transparent about the environmental impact of vehicles.

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he Swedish automotive brand has pledged to publish the full details of the climate impact of its electric vehicles (EV) as they leave the production line.

The complete Life Cycle Assessment will show the total climate impact of the car over its entire life cycle.

The company has said they aim to be the most transparent vehicle manufacturer in the

industry. Using its own analysis, they found that the new Polestar 2 EV leaves the factory with a 26-tonne carbon footprint.

In the manufacturing phase, the Polestar 2 has a larger carbon footprint than a Volvo XC40, mainly due to the energy-intensive process of battery production.

However, once the EV reaches the customer, if charged with renewable energy, then

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further CO2 emissions are negligible.

‘Car manufacturers have not been clear in the past with consumers on the environmental impact of their products,’ said Polestar chief executive, Thomas Ingenlath.

‘The message is clear, electric vehicles offer a route to climate neutrality and we will use the insights from this report to reach that goal.’

Advertorial

Industry’s First “Intelligent Particle Sensor” Identifies What’s in your Air?

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he World Health Organization has identified Air Pollution as the cause of 7.0M deaths per year (mass concentration). The cause is Particulate Matter (PM) from industrial emissions, motor vehicles, domestic combustion, smoking/ vaping etc. In a groundbreaking study from Harvard University analyzing 95 million Medicare Hospitalizations even small, short-term increases in exposure can be harmful to health. Furthermore, Air Pollution has been linked to the spread of Covid-19 creating an urgent need for improved sensor technology at low cost. Until now there has been no real-time, accurate, affordable method for measuring air quality especially particles smaller than 2.5 microns (PM2.5).

suspended in air. Unlike existing LowCost, PM Sensors that are inaccurate, low resolution and calibrated for just PM2.5; Piera-1 has superior accuracy, detects smaller and larger particles (PM0.1-PM10+) and counts them in real time across programmable bin sizes.

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Piera-1 has been tested, characterized and correlated to Reference instruments for PM0.3, PM0.5, PM1.0, PM2.5, PM5.0, PM10 with compelling results.

Additional testing is underway to include PM0.1-0.3 and to classify various

Piera Systems has developed the industry’s first Intelligent PM sensor which can sense, measure and identify ultra-fine particles in real-time with sizebased categorization.

Piera-1 uses a breakthrough optical approach for detecting and measuring the quantity, size and distribution of particles

particulates starting with vape and cigarette smoke.

Piera-1 can be programmed to detect a wide range of particle sizes allowing for a single sensor to be used in many applications. For the first time, applications can be developed that take advantage of low cost, accurate, real-time

data about air quality. The resulting data can be used to identify the signature of the Particulate Matter which can be analyzed using Machine Learning/AI and algorithms to classify it (i.e. vape/smoke) Initial applications include; Air Purifiers, Air Quality Monitors, Smart Buildings, HVAC Systems, vape/smoke detectors, industrial (silica dust, etc.) and global sensor networks that monitor Air Quality.

Piera-1 utilizes the PSC-1 custom mixed-signal ASIC to measure and count Photon’s reflected from the PM by a laser.

Photon counting requires extracting small signals from noisy conditions. PSC-1’s technology was initially developed for X-Ray Imaging Systems and is covered by 3 US Patents. It’s ability to extract and count Photon’s at high data rates is what provides Piera-1 with superior specifications to existing sensors.

An Evaluation Kit is available to assess Piera-1 and design it into your product.

Included is one Piera-1 Sensor, USB cable, Documentation and SenseiPMTM software (windows and macOS) for controlling, measuring and analyzing sensor data.

Multiple Piera-1 sensors can be used with SenseiPM. Piera-1 is compatible with existing low-cost Optical PM sensors allowing for a fast upgrade to your existing products. Volume production commences Oct. 2020.

For further information please contact; info@pierasystems.com / www.pierasystems.com

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Feature

Electric Vehicle Fires – should we be concerned?

As more and more people purchase electric vehicles (EVs) there is a growing number of concerns about what happens if these vehicles set on fire. Air Quality News reporter Pippa Neill has set out to debunk the myths and understand the true risks of electric vehicle fires.

By Pippa Neill

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he electric vehicle market has seen exponential growth in the past decade.

Almost 100,000 new EVs are expected to be registered in the UK this year alone, and in April 2020, EV sales surpassed petrol and diesel vehicles for the first-time ever.

Despite the undoubtable benefits of electrifying our transport fleet - from reduced air pollution to enabling us to achieve the essential net-zero targets - among the EV community there is a growing sense of concern about the dangers and apparent spontaneity of EV fires.

Causes of an EV fire Electric vehicles are powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. The first lithium ion battery was invented in the 1990’s and it was used to power a car in the early 2000’s.

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In comparison, petrol and diesel vehicles have been around for well over 100 years, so comparatively we are yet to obtain the same data and understanding when it comes to product safety.

Fundamentally, electric vehicles are extremely safe, but the main danger occurs when the lithium-ion battery is damaged, which might happen if it is exposed to extreme heat or something penetrates the battery cell wall.

Professor Paul Christensen from the University of Newcastle is an expert in the field of EV fires and explained to Air Quality News: ‘Lithium-ion batteries are amazing, and the reason they’re amazing is because they can store a huge amount of energy in a very small space.

But naturally that energy will try and get out.

If the battery is exposed to excessive heat, or there is a penetration

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in the battery case, then you get an internal short circuit.

This short circuit causes what is called Joule heating, this is when the electricity passing through causes heat and you cannot get rid of the heat as fast as you are generating it.

Then because of this heat, a chemical reaction takes place which generates more heat, which then causes the chemical reaction to go even faster, and as you can see it’s a vicious cycle.

This is a process called thermal runaway and it can lead to ignition, or in some cases even explosion.’

How often do they occur?

Although these fires do present a real danger, fortunately for us they remain very rare.

Data obtained by Air Quality News through a Freedom of Information

Feature

(FOI) Request revealed that in 2019 the London Fire Brigade dealt with just 54 electric vehicle fires compared to 1,898 petrol and diesel fires.

Similarly, so far in 2020, the fire services have dealt with 1,021 petrol and diesel fires and just 27 electric vehicle fires.

As Elon Musk himself tweeted: ‘Tesla, like most electric cars, are over 500% less likely to catch fire than combustion engine cars, which carry massive amounts of highly flammable fuels.’

The main risks Although these fires remain rare, when they do occur, they can be extremely dangerous.

During an electric vehicle fire, over 100 organic chemicals are generated, including some incredibly toxic gases such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide - both of which are fatal to humans.

According to George Maloney, sub officer in the operational team at the London Fire Brigade, the fire services are prepared for dealing with these toxic gases: ‘When dealing with any sort of vehicle fire, the fire brigade will always wear full PPE with respiratory equipment.

As far as we know, this seems to provide adequate protection against these toxic gases.

However, this level of protection isn’t necessarily available for all members of the public or for individuals from other public services.

It’s a dynamic situation in that we are still learning about how EV fires behave, but the guidance is consistent, always wear full protective gear.’

Putting out the fire For the fire brigade, the real problem when it comes to an EV fire is with trying to put it out.

The services have two main options, let the fire burn out or extinguish it.

The obvious choice seems to be to extinguish the fire, however many EV manufacturers actually advise for a controlled burn. This is where the fire services allow the vehicle to burn

out while they focus on protecting the surrounding area.

However, according to Simon Kirsopp, watch manager at Tyne & Wear Fire & Rescue, it is not always that simple: ‘Letting a fire burn out can not only have an impact on the surrounding environment, property, and people, but in many cases this just isn’t feasible.

We have to think about the impact on the wider economy. Letting a fire burn out could mean closing a road for up to eight hours.

It is estimated that for every minute a road is closed, it has a £1m impact on the local economy.

We have to think of business continuity, social arrangements and the effect on local businesses, sometimes closing a road just isn’t an option.’

using such vast amounts of water it is very easy for this contaminated water to enter drainage systems.’

Therefore, the fire services are left with the second option, to extinguish the fire – but this also comes with its own set of problems.

‘Putting out an EV fire uses around 1,125 litres of water per minute,’ explained Simon.

‘We also have to consider the water runoff. When water is used to treat a fire, it can become contaminated because it absorbs certain quantities of soot or chemicals that are common when anything burns. When we are

of the pick-up truck or in the storage grounds.

This poses a legal challenge in terms of whose responsibility is it, and as a fire department it is hard to make the final call, just because we have put the fire out, it doesn’t mean it won’t start again.’

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The legal issue Once the fire has been successfully put out, the problem for the fire brigade is not over.

Electric vehicle fires are known to reignite hours, days or even weeks after the initial event, and they can do so many times.

According to Simon, not only does this pose a safety issue, but it also poses a legal issue: ‘Recovery firms are increasingly concerned about dealing with electric vehicles.

Just because the fire is burned out at that moment, there is no way of knowing if it will reignite in the back

Preparing for these fires Fire services across the country are working hard to improve their

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knowledge and understanding of these fi res to ensure that they are prepared as we inevitably see more EVs on the roads.

Simon Kirsopp and the Tyne & Ware Fire and Rescue Team have been working closely with Professor Paul Christensen and the Faraday Institution to further their understanding on how heat impacts fully charged batteries.

Together, they have developed a new training programme to help deliver information and guidance to crew members by teaching them how to deal with EV fi res in the best possible way.

They have also developed mobile data terminals which enables the fi re services to identify what model of vehicle is on fi re, where the battery is and where the isolation switches are.

Services internationally have also been trialling new alternative options to extinguish the fi res, for example a full submersion of the battery, however at the moment the success of this method remains uncertain.

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Effective risk management When we are highlighting the risks of EV fires, it is important to position this against the backdrop of the current risks of air pollution.

Globally, air pollution is responsible for 7 million premature deaths every single year and if we fail to decarbonise the planet, then the impacts of climate change on the global population will be catastrophic.

To date, fatalities from electric vehicle fires are few and far between.

As stated by Professor Paul Christensen, like with most things there is always a risk, but we should not let this risk deter us from transitioning towards a fleet of electric vehicles, rather it should encourage us to accelerate our understanding so we can avoid and mitigate the risks in the best possible way.

‘As a civilisation we are very good at managing risk,’ said Paul.

Yes, these risks are very real, but if we understand them, then we can manage them.

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If we are going to decarbonise the planet and reach the targets set by the Prime Minister - which we absolutely should - then we are going to have to learn how to deal with EV fires.

In general terms, the fire services are not yet fully prepared, but they are working hard to understand the new risks. Fundamentally they are going to need a lot more help and funding from the government.

Various solutions have been suggested, for example a water lance that floods the battery or a fire blanket to cover the vehicle. But I think the general consensus is that it’s not going to be one single product or solution, it’s going to have to be a system that involves both procedure and product.

The last thing I want to do is demonise lithium ion batteries, they are amazing, we’ve seen no battery like them before and they are essential to the decarbonisation of the planet, but with the plans to ban the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles creeping closer and closer much more research needs to be done to ensure safety across the board.’

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Feature

Did Chinese air quality improve during the COVID-19 lockdown?

Ben Silver and Dominick Spracklen, University of Leeds

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n an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19, governments around the world have imposed lockdowns, restricting travel, industrial activities and the movements of goods and services. All this reduced activity would be expected to reduce air pollution emissions and lead to improved air quality. Air pollution causes at least 8 million premature deaths each year and according to the World Health Organisation it is one of the biggest environmental health risks facing the world today, therefore cleaner skies are seen as one of the few silver linings of COVID-19.

There have been widespread reports in the media that lockdowns have resulted in improved air quality. But many of these reports are based on simple comparisons between air pollution before and after the lockdown, or from a comparison of air pollution in this year to last year. But the complex interactions between emissions, atmospheric chemistry, weather and air pollution, mean these simple comparisons can be misleading. So how much cleaner did the air we breathe really become during the lockdown?

In collaboration with researchers from the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzen, we made a careful assessment of the impacts of the Chinese lockdown on air quality. China was the first country to implement a lockdown, starting in Wuhan and other cities in the Hubei province on the 23rd January 2020. China also has some of the most polluted air in the world, so understanding the impacts on Chinese air pollution is really important.

We analysed air pollution data from 2015-2020 from 1,640 automatic air pollution monitoring stations from across mainland China. To assess the true impact that lockdown has had on air pollution, we had to untangle several confounding effects.

First, air pollution is rapidly changing in China, with some pollutants, like particulate matter and sulphur dioxide, rapidly decreasing, whereas other pollutants like ozone are increasing. These trends mean that pollutant concentrations in 2020 would have been different to previous years even without a lockdown. Second, the seasonal cycle means that most air pollutants (except ozone) have higher concentrations in winter compared to summer. This means that even without a lockdown, concentrations in January are typically higher than February. Finally, the Chinese lockdown coincided with the Lunar New Year, one of the largest holidays in China. Air quality typically improves during this holiday period, as people spend time at home.

To produce a more accurate assessment of the impacts of the lockdown, we removed the impacts of long-term trends, seasonal cycle and Lunar New Year allowing us to compare

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pollutant concentrations during lock down with the expected concentrations had the COVID-19 pandemic not occurred.

We found that nitrogen dioxide (NO2) had the largest reductions during the lockdown, with average concentrations reduced by 27%. In comparison, the most harmful pollutant to human health, particulate matter (PM2.5) was only down 10.5% and ozone had hardly declined at all.

Emissions of NO2 are dominated by transport, industry and power generation, all of which are likely to have been affected by the lockdown. In particular, traffic declined substantially during the lockdown, explaining the reductions in NO2. In China, PM2.5 concentrations are heavily influenced by residential emissions, mostly burning coal to heat homes. This activity is much less likely to have been influenced by the control measures, partly explaining the more modest reductions in PM2.5 that were observed.

Another factor that can lead to a counter-intuitive

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outcome when emissions decline is the non-linear chemistry involved in transforming emissions to air pollution. In some cases, a decrease in emissions could actually increase air pollutant concentrations. For example, ozone (O3) is a secondary pollutant formed when a mix of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), both emitted by traffic, undergo photochemical reactions when they are exposed to sunlight. The production of O3 depends on the concentrations of both VOCs and NOx. When concentrations of NOx are low, more NOx produces more O3.. In the presence of high concentrations of NOx, increased NOx emissions do not lead to increased O3, instead NOx captures O3, which is stored as NO2 and reacts with the OH, radical reducing the oxidation of VOCs. .

Therefore, if traffic emissions were to suddenly decrease, we might expect an increase in O3 in some cases. We observe this in our study during the Lunar New Year holiday, when traffic declines but O3 concentrations increase.

Non-linearities in atmospheric chemistry will also influence the changes in PM2.5 which we saw - it was only slightly reduced across China as a whole, but increased during February in heavily polluted parts of northern China.

PM2.5 is a complex mixture of particles that are directly emitted into the atmosphere and other particles that form in the atmosphere after the oxidation products of polluting gases condense to form particles. PM2.5 is also made up of many different chemical components including black carbon, sulphate, nitrate, organics and dust. All of these different components will have been impacted in different ways during the lockdown. This means that predicting how PM2.5 concentrations change as emissions change can be challenging. Another explanation for the modest reduction in PM2.5, is that the decrease in NOx emissions led to an increase in the atmosphereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oxidising capacity, increasing the formation of particles that are formed in the atmosphere.

Much of the PM2.5 found in the skies over China is formed

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Hong Kong

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Shanghai

trend

seasonal

residual

CNY

O3 PM2.5 NO2

NO2

PM2.5

O3

by the oxidation of other polluting gases, meaning this could have an important influence.

Our work also further highlights the longer-term changes in air pollution across China as a result of air quality policies. During 2015 to 2019, there were substantial reductions in PM2.5 with 81% of measurement stations

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reporting significant reductions. Across all of China the median change in PM2.5 concentration was −6% yr−1.

We also found large reductions in sulphur dioxide (−12% yr−1) and NO2 (−2.2% yr−1) concentrations, whereas ozone concentrations had increased (O3, + 2.8% yr−1). These longer-term changes in air pollution are also influenced by the complex interplay of emissions, meteorology and atmospheric chemistry. Our recent study, shows that reduced emissions are the dominant cause of reduced PM2.5 concentrations. Over the period 2015-2017, reduced exposure to PM2.5 across China could be reducing the number of premature mortalities by 150 000 each year. This demonstrates that Chinese air quality policies are reducing emissions and improving air quality, though ongoing increases in O3 concentrations are a concern.

The lockdown measures implemented during the COVID-19 outbreak provided researchers with a ‘natural experiment’ to analyse the potential air quality improvements caused by a significant reduction in emissions. Understanding how air quality changes in response to changing emissions is essential to assess the effectiveness of recent air quality measures and help inform future air pollution mitigation. The modest improvement in air quality during the lockdown, despite very large reductions in emissions from some sources, such as traffic, highlights the challenge facing China as it tries to further improve air quality. In particular, it further highlights the contribution of sources like residential combustion of coal to air pollution in China. Future efforts to reduce particulate air pollution in China, need to further address emissions from residential coal combustion.

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Feature

Poland needs immediate and bold air quality action Agnieszka Warso-Buchanan, Clean Air Lawyer, ClientEarth

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ccording to the latest EEA report, in 2017, Poland was second only to Turkey when it came to measured exceedances of the annual limit of particulate matter (PM10).

Later on, in 2019, legal limits for PM10, PM2.5 and benzo(a) pyrene [B(a)P] continued to be broken in a number of zones.

Unlike in the UK, where road

In his 2017 speech, the Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, recognised that air quality is a challenge and would be a top priority for his government. Yet, in 2019, smog was still considered as a serious problem in urban areas by 60% of Poles, especially in Southern Poland and in big cities.

Three years after the PM’s speech and, after a significant decision of the

transport constitutes an important source of pollution, poor air quality in Poland is largely driven by the burning of coal and wood in domestic heating (“low-stack” emissions).

It is responsible for about 84% of B(a)P emissions and more than 46% of PM2.5 and PM10 emissions.

Four big cities (including Warsaw and Krakow) also exceed annual limits for nitrogen dioxide pollution.

This time, cars are a major culprit. There were 681 cars per 1000 inhabitants in Warsaw in 2016. These cars had an average age of 12.

top European court (CJEU) which stated, in 2018, that Poland was in breach of air quality law, still not enough has been done to improve air quality in the country.

Warsaw

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Fighting inefficient legislation ClientEarth is in the front line of the battle to push for effective measures to improve air quality in Poland as soon as possible and to keep authorities accountable for their actions.

Unfortunately, the actions taken

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Poland was second only to Turkey when it came to measured exceedances of the annual limit of PM10 so far are ineffective, slow and lack coherence. Below are a few of the most evident examples of the government’s failed policies on air pollution: 1. The National Air Protection Programme for the years 2015-2020 with a 2030 perspective achieved none of the three 2018 goals aimed at reducing air pollution and people’s exposure to it.

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Warsaw 2. The 2018 Electromobility and Alternative Fuels Act which introduced the possibility for local governments to create clean air transport zones is inoperative and not used in practice. It prohibits all but electric and hybrid vehicles from entering the zone but each local government can establish unlimited exemptions.

3. The flagship 2018 ‘Clean Air’ governmental programme with a budget of 103 billion PLN and a main objective to provide financial support to replace about 3 million old stoves

and boilers attracted a great deal of criticism from civil society since its start. Complaints relate to insufficient information, a complicated application procedure and slow processing of applications for funding. The programme is currently undergoing reforms, but their results are yet to be evaluated.

4. Air Quality Plans (AQPs).

Although the legislation regarding AQPs has recently been amended in line with the abovementioned CJEU’s judgement, our experience regarding AQPs leaves no doubt that there are

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Eliminating the use of solid fuels from domestic heating, is a necessity to significantly improve air quality major areas for improvement. Air Quality Plans do not contain effective measures to deal with illegal levels of pollution. There is no effective cooperation between different levels of administration. What’s more, there are significant barriers to access to justice in cases concerning Air Quality Plans, as the European Commission has pointed out.

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Krakow 5. The household heating sector remains the main source of air pollution in Poland but there are other sources, such as coal-fired power plants. Plans to keep investing in the biggest CO2 emitter in Europe the Bełchatów Lignite Power Plant are particularly worrisome, as are the plans to construct a new opencast lignite mine to provide fuel for the Bełchatów plant for the next 38 years. In the context of air quality and harmful emissions, it is worthwhile noting that in 2019 the plant emitted over 2.6 tonnes of mercury, over 30 million tonnes of sulphur oxides and over 32 million tonnes of CO2.

Clean air is a fundamental right Not much progress has been made in the last three years to improve

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air quality. Measures taken by the Polish government are ineffective, not coordinated and in most cases elusive.

An immediate, bold and clear national policy, addressing the problem of air quality by eliminating the use of solid fuels from domestic heating, as well as reducing transport-related emissions, is a necessity to significantly improve air quality as soon as possible.

By the end of September this year, local authorities must prepare new Air Quality Plans, which should include effective measures to improve air quality as quickly as possible.

ClientEarth will assess those plans and measures and take all necessary steps to make sure that air quality complies with standards established by the EU and national legislation.

Breathing clean air is not a privilege, it is our fundamental right.

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What next for clean air?

Last month, two of the most advanced clean air zones [CAZ] in England; Leeds and Bristol, announced delays to their planned go-live dates, and then more recently Sheffield followed suit. Unsurprisingly the reason is CV19.

Odense, Denmark

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L

ast month, two of the most advanced clean air zones [CAZ] in England; Leeds and Bristol, announced delays to their planned go-live dates, and then more recently Sheffield followed suit. unsurprisingly the reason is CV19.

With the lockdown easing slowly and traffic levels [at least on the DfT network] back at over 90% plus, in particular the back to school impact, things are looking promising for the recovery? There is, however, a slightly different picture coming from the local network, with many cities, particularly in the north of the country reporting very low traffic and parking statistics, and very positive roadside pollution figures.

In Scotland things are much the same with Transport Scotland pausing the Low Emission Zone programmes in the big cities. However over in Europe things seem a little different. During the height of the lockdown the Danish Environment Protection Agency launched low emission zones in five cities.

These have similarities and differences to the emission-based schemes we have here in the UK. They are based on air quality data led boundaries in the most

polluted areas and are enforced using ANPR cameras backed up with a penalty charge deterrent. They are similar to the Scottish LEZâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s as one cannot pay to drive in the zones in a polluting vehicle [unlike the English CAZâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s] however they are designed to address particulates, rather than NOx. With the impact of particulates on CV19 starting to be understood [AQ news article 14.9.20] now may be the time to consider the impact of the wider range of pollutants?

Marston Holdings have been working with the cities across Denmark on the scheme including educating drivers and fleet operators as to their options to retrofit filters. Given the new Environment Bill sets out a new [yet to be defined] target for particulates we can learn from our colleagues in Europe and possibly look at future proofing our own CAZ and LEZ schemes to allow a transition to addressing different, and equally dangerous, pollutants.

Brexit, and its uncertainty, still looms on the horizon and in particular the regulatory framework for air pollution.

JAQU are the Governments joint air quality unit, who are responsible for the central CAZ services including DVLA

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emission look ups and payment portal.

They are working with all CAZ cities across the country and transport and enforcement organisations, such as us at Marston Holdings, to ensure the CAZ schemes meet all current requirements including ensuring foreign vehicles are not exempt. Like the Danish case study foreign vehicles are subject to the same emission standards as domestic vehicles and action will be taken to ensure these vehicles are identified, assessed, and enforced against in line with the local rules.

What we do next is the million-dollar question, and in particular how to get the best public value out of the extensive network of ANPR cameras installed across our most polluted cities. Is it time to look at a national CAZ, LEZ or mileage-based road user charging solution? Do we use these tools to drive particulate or carbon reduction in line with our existing net zero commitments and new environmental targets?

Marston holdings is hosting a webinar on 21 October 2020 to discuss all things CAZ and LEZ in a post CV19 world. We will be joined by technical transport and air quality experts, JAQU and our Danish clients and will be looking at what are the current challenges in developing and implementing and maintaining air quality solutions in an uncertain world.

Nick Ruxton-Boyle, Director of Environment, Marston Holdings For more information please visit: www.marstonholdings.co.uk/airquality

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At Marston Holdings we understand the current challenges our local authority clients are facing whether they be social, economic or environmental.

We work collaboratively with our 500+ clients in the UK and EU to develop, refine and execute a wide range of transport and enforcement solutions.

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Feature

All aboard the Bamford hydrogen bus revolution Air Quality News talks to JCB heir and hydrogen advocate, Jo Bamford, about why it is the fuel of the future for buses.

by Jamie Hailstone

T

here have been times over the last few years when the debate about zero emission vehicles has sounded a lot like two 1980’s schoolchildren arguing over which is better Betamax or VHS. Readers who lived through the decade that taste conveniently forgot will no doubt recall how both home entertainment systems fought for supremacy, and despite the fact that Betamax was technically the more superior format, VHS ended up in every living room in the world.

Fast forward 40 years and the battery-powered electric vehicle has all but been crowned as the vehicle of the future, despite concerns about the sustainability of the batteries themselves and their likely impact on the National Grid.

But there is a growing lobby for hydrogen-powered vehicles, including the JCB heir Jo Bamford, who owns hydrogen energy producer Ryse Hydrogen and Northern Ireland-based bus company Wrightbus.

Bamford recently welcomed the news that the Scottish Government has renewed its pledges to support the

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hydrogen industry, in addition to the creation of Green Business Champions, and he himself has plans to bring 3,000 hydrogen buses to the streets of the UK. Speaking to Air Quality News, Bamford says he has been looking at the technology behind hydrogen for 15 years.

‘The reality is very simple,’ he explains. ‘When will you get mass adoption of zero-emission vehicles? When it costs the same, when it does the same and when it is as easy to fill up as petrol or diesel. The only solution to that is hydrogen.

Batteries are a lovely product and from an engineering point of view, they are very cool, but there is a lot of hassle with them. They are easy to develop on a small scale.

But my issue with batteries is when you start scaling up.

If you want to upgrade all the fleet vehicles in the UK, you would need to build 2,300 charging stations between now and 2050.’

‘Hydrogen is a nice solution,’ adds Bamford. ‘It operates in a similar manner to how petrol and diesel works today.

The production system is similar too. Oil is made in an

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oil refinery. You stick it on a truck, which is delivered to a petrol station. You make hydrogen with an offshore wind farm and the hydrogen is delivered to a fleet station. There would be no change of behaviour.’

And Bamford is quick to point out that hydrogen generated through offshore wind farms would be available on the UK’s doorstep, unlike lithium, which is the main component of an EV battery and would have to be imported.

‘China has 72% of the world’s batteries,’ he says. ‘If someone has 72% of the market share, then it will be pretty difficult to knock them off their perch. In Britain, we have a lot of wind and water, and we can turn that into energy.

It’s very clear that batteries won’t be able to do everything. Let’s take a Boeing 747, for example. If you want to power one of those with batteries, you would need 2,700 tonnes of batteries and it would never get off the ground.’

Bamford is keen to talk about the possibilities of hydrogen buses, and for good reason, as he is in that business. With more than 40,000 of them on UK roads, he has a point. It’s a good market to get into, after all.

‘If you came to me with an order for 3,000 buses, I could get the bus to cost the same as a diesel,’ Bamford tells Air Quality News.

‘Already, we can deliver hydrogen for the same cost of running a bus on diesel into London. It’s about £6 per kilo, which debunks the myth that hydrogen is expensive.

Hydrogen is expensive if you are going to use it in heating, because you would be competing against natural gas, which is incredibly cheap.’

‘I have a bus manufacturing business,’ he adds. ‘We make a diesel bus, a battery double decker and a hydrogen double decker. A battery double decker will do 60% of the distance of a diesel bus and take 4.5 hours to charge. A hydrogen bus will do the same distance as a diesel bus and take seven minutes to fill up. If you are running a bus for 22 hours a day, you can’t afford to charge them up for 4.5 hours a day.

‘It’s great to have battery double deckers and they work great in city centres. It’s fine to plug in 10 or 20 buses, but when you have 200 buses, you would need a 10MW substation or a huge battery to balance the grid, or both.

That’s fine if you do it in isolation in one depot, but in London there are 72 bus depots.’

‘And guess what? They want to make them all electric battery within the next 10 years. You will need a 400MW power station just to power those depots. And you know how long it takes to get planning permission for a power station,’ he adds.

‘You give me the orders and I’ll have it done. It’s all about having the production facilities. They take between 18 months and two years to get built. We’ve just won planning permission for an electrolyser connected to a 180MW offshore wind farm in Kent. That should be built by the end of next year, and that could fill up 800 buses.’

Of course, there is the slight matter of whether policymakers share Bamford’s enthusiasm for hydrogenpowered vehicles. For some time, the Department for Transport has been keen to promote the use of EVs and

many in the energy and transport sectors feel that batterypowered vehicles are the way forward.

Although transport secretary, Grant Shapps, did talk about the possibility of a ‘hydrogen bus town’ when he appeared before the transport select committee back in June, so there is hope.

‘We’re delighted that the secretary of state shares our vision and belief that the UK can lead the world in hydrogen technology,’ said Bamford.

‘As the producer of the world’s-first double decker hydrogen bus, we have been encouraging the government to consider a hydrogen bus town as we believe this will be a brilliant showcase of the vital role that zero-emission hydrogen buses - all of which can be produced and manufactured in the UK - can play in improving air quality.’

‘The secretary of state’s leadership and support can kick the hydrogen economy into full swing and will be a much needed shot in the arm for UK jobs and the UK economy.

We stand ready to work with authorities looking to become the first ever hydrogen bus town.’

‘The Scottish Government has shown strong, globalleadership on hydrogen, and it is great to see the renewal of this commitment and ambition in its response to the Advisory Group on the Economic Recovery report,’ he added.

‘Without doubt, taking steps to unlock Scotland’s hydrogen economy will create new jobs today and many more over future years.

Later this year Wrightbus will introduce a fleet of worldfirst hydrogen double decker buses in Aberdeen, and Ryse Hydrogen have plans to build green hydrogen production facilities in Aberdeen and Glasgow. It is essential that strong

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partnerships exist between the government, local authorities and business to unlock investments like these, so we also welcome the Scottish Government’s plans to establish ‘Green Business Champions’.’

But there is no denying that the battle to win hearts and minds, particularly in the corridors of power of hydrogen is far from over.

‘I was speaking to the Scottish minister today and I said you’ve got s***loads of wind and water, and 20% of your economy is based on oil and gas, which will die over the

Jo Bamford, JCB heir and hydrogen advocate

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next 30 years,’ says Bamford. ‘I said to him “this is your perfect, fantastic moment to jump behind it and you could show it all off at COP26 at Glasgow next year”,’ Bamford tells Air Quality News.

‘Until seven months ago, I had never met a politician and never done an interview with anyone. Over the last six months, I’ve spoken to 15 MPs a week and done three or four interviews a week. I’ve promoted hydrogen like it’s going out of fashion.

We are walking into a crisis in Britain. Come the end of September and October, there could be 20% or 30% unemployment. We’re come out of COVID-19 and what are going to be the pillars of our economy going forward?

COVID and Brexit will be a double whammy. We need jobs.

Having part of a green solution and a green economy will be very important.’

‘In Europe, they think by 2050 hydrogen will be a $2.5 trillion market. Wouldn’t it be great to have a little bit of that in Britain? If you could get it going, you could also manufacture all the products that make it. Manufacturing does not happen in big cities, manufacturing happens in regional towns. We don’t make fuel cells in great volume here in the UK, but maybe we could inspire a fuel cell manufacturer to open here in Britain. If you could put them in one of those regional towns, they will be the mainstay of that town for the next 50 years. I think hydrogen is a sexy, cool thing to be looking at.’

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Indoor Air Quality – Getting it Right for Health and Productivity

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s I write this, the UK Government has responded to fast rising Covid-19 cases with stricter controls and regulations, with the prospect of them remaining in place until March 2021. The way it’s going right now, it could be even longer.

Dozens of organisations such as HSBC and PwC have slammed “back to office” schedules into reverse. For all those companies hoping that autumn would see the return of employees, this, for many, will be a severe setback.

In the meantime all those working from home, hoping to go back to their work place will no doubt be either disappointed or frustrated or mightily relieved.

The big questions facing organisations in respect of Covid-19 are: A. How can we create a safer indoor environment?

B. H ow can we reassure our employees that it is safe to return to?

Whilst companies now have a few more months to address these, is there is perhaps an even bigger problem for the immediate future; that of productivity of home-based employees?

There is copious evidence out there

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to show that poor quality indoor air adversely affects cognitive performance and productivity. The home can, for many, be a challenging environment to work in. As winter approaches, indoor air quality in many homes is likely to deteriorate badly, impacting on cognitive performance and productivity but, at the same time, creating a perfect environment for viruses to survive and spread.

There is a very powerful argument which says: “When employees are in our offices, we aim to provide them with good quality air for their health, wellness, sense of wellbeing and productivity. But when they are working from home, we can’t do that so we will have to accept reduced productivity and its impact on the bottom line.

But wait a minute! The UK’s Health and Safety Executive clearly states “As an employer, you have the same health and safety responsibilities for home workers as for any other workers.” It includes stress and mental health, both of which can be exacerbated by poor air quality. Why can’t we, as employers, encourage or even facilitate our home-

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based employees to use indoor air quality monitors and air purifiers? Not only will this help them to understand the composition of air in their own home and be alerted to virus-favourable air quality but more particularly, enable them to work in healthier workconducive air. High productivity is so important.

The financial payback could well be a matter of a few short months.

Apart from that, we will be helping to protect our employees and their families, contributing more directly towards the global battle against Coronavirus.

How could organisations arrive at such a constructive solution?

There is already a major precedent.

Most employees have at-home use of company owned assets such as computers and ‘phones (and cars).

This principle could be extended for indoor air quality monitors and air purifiers. Both can be obtained under 3-year lease contract and listed in company assets by their MAC address and/or production ID.

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Other options include cost-sharing such as issuing vouchers to employees.

Either way, this type of constructive solution is a win, win, win.

Choosing the right solutions There is a bewildering range of air purifier products available. Some good, some brilliant, some a bit suspect. Some are more suitable for certain applications than others. Monitoring indoor air quality is totally synergistic with air cleaning, disinfection and purification.

It’s about knowledge and immediate remediation. The two go hand in hand. This year we have established partnerships with a number of the best providers of air purifiers and we can help you find your way through the maze.

Talk to us today.

COVID-19 and Air Quality The foundation of any environment is the quality of air. If air quality is poor, the environment can never be conducive to health, wellness and productivity.

Since the onset of the pandemic, knowledge about Covid-19 has grown rapidly.

For example, once upon a time, the experts said that the Covid-19 virus could only be transmitted by being in close proximity to an infected person or by touching a contaminated surface. It is now confirmed by the WHO and US CDC that Covid-19 can also be airborne i.e. it can remain suspended in air for some time to infect people by inhalation.

The survival and spread of any airborne virus indoors will depend greatly upon the condition of the air.

Thankfully, indoor air quality which is healthy for humans can hasten the demise of airborne viruses and therefore diminish the spread to others. Poor quality indoor air, detrimental to human health, tends to favour the survival of viruses and may enhance spread.

Detecting Dangerous Virus-Conducive Air Quality The Covid-19 virus becomes airborne in millions of microscopic droplets exhaled in an invisible cloud or “aerosol” by people as they breathe.

That aerosol becomes visible on cold

days as people exhale and you can “see their breath”.

The problem is that, indoors, these droplets can remain airborne for many minutes (even hours) or even become attached to airborne particulates PM1 and PM2.5, inhaled deep into the lungs.

In June this year, a Hong Kong based company uHoo Ltd. introduced the remarkable “Airborne Virus Index” as part of the uHoo IAQ monitor’s standard data package.

A world first, the Airborne Virus Index shows people if the air around them is promoting or impeding the survival and spread of viruses. When the index alerts that air quality is favourable to viruses, the app gives advice on how to rectify it.

The index is proving to be very helpful to commercial and noncommercial organisations focused on making the workplace healthier, more inviting and reassuring to employees.

You can see more about the uHoo IAQ monitoring system at https://www. uhooair.co.uk Indoor Air Quality in the workplace?

Pollution? Know your air!!

“You can’t manage it if you don’t monitor it” Very, very few employers can prove objectively that the air they supply to their employees is healthy air. Why? They don’t monitor it. If they do, more often than not, it’s a brief audit “snapshot” which can and often is, grossly misleading.

Knowing what pollutants exist in indoor air and their concentrations is absolutely vital. Employers need to know and record that the air supplied to employees is healthy and they need also to reassure their employees. Employees have what is now recognised as a human right “to breathe healthy air”.

Why should they endure poor quality air, risking their personal wellbeing when, with today’s technologies, there is absolutely no excuse for supplying poor air? Technologies are now capable of revealing and proving that employee ill health is due to long term exposure to poor air. And that could leave employers wide-open to litigation.

There are a number of very capable indoor air quality (IAQ) monitors on

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the UK market suitable for commercial applications.

Arguably, foremost amongst these is the uHoo IAQ monitoring system.

Not only do uHoo monitors facilitate minute by minute detailed reporting across nine IAQ parameters but also integration with Building Management and Building Automation Systems such as Tridium’s Niagara 4.8.

Data can also be presented on video display screens to inform building occupants about the air quality they are obliged to breathe. Relaying data to building occupants is a significant requirement in the higher standards Well Building Certification.

Graham Mills, Managing Director AirProfiling Ltd. www.uhooair.co.uk sales@uhooair.co.uk 01636 555 007

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The Big Interview

Helena Molin Valdés, head of the United Nations Climate & Clean Air Coalition Air Quality News reporter Pippa Neill spoke to Helena Molin Valdés, about why we need a global approach to air pollution.

The Climate & Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) was founded in 2012 when leaders in Bangladesh, Canada, Ghana, Mexico, Sweden, and the United States came together with the UN Environment Programme to initiate efforts to reduce shortlived climate pollutants.

Short-lived climate pollutants include black carbon, particulate matter, ozone, methane, and hydrofluorocarbons, which together are responsible for an estimated 6 million premature deaths every single year and have contributed to around 45% of global warming.

Over the past eight years, the CACC has collaborated with partners and stakeholders from across the world to create policies and practices to deliver reductions in short-lived climate pollutants over the coming decades.

As described by Helena: ‘We see ourselves as the facilitator and catalyser of starting action on the specific set of pollutants that are short lived in the atmosphere and which have multiple impacts on both public health and the climate.’

Lockdown and air pollution There are few elements of 2020 that anyone would want to hold onto, but the significant reduction in air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions might be one of them.

The global reduction in emissions reached international headlines with the benefits seen by many, from the millions of people who saw improved lung conditions, to those who saw blue skies in their city for the first time in years.

However, as the pace of life picks up speed, the question remains over whether this progress will be harnessed and a ‘green recovery’ secured.

‘COVID-19 has provided us with an opportunity to make changes and start again,’ said Helena.

‘But the question of whether we will take this opportunity remains. It is my job to be optimistic, but it is important that 30

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governments and the global population understand that there are choices to be made, and that these choices have lifelong consequences.’

Although certain air pollutants did see a dramatic decline during the lockdown period, this was not the case across the board.

For example, particulate matter (PM2.5), a pollutant which is the leading environmental cause of premature death, hardly changed.

‘COVID-19 has provided us with an opportunity to make changes and start again’ According to Helena, one of the main reasons for this is because of the use of woodburning stoves and solid fuels.

‘78% of the population in India use solid fuels for cooking and heating, and with people spending more time than ever inside their homes the pollution from burning these fuels has significantly increased.

It is essential that we promote a shift away from these solid fuels, and to do this we need policies that reach the poor, not just the middle class.’

Changing behaviours The COVID-19 pandemic has led to many changes in the way we live our lives, from working from home to wearing a facemask, but for many of us it has also changed the way we shop.

Whilst most businesses have been hit hard by the pandemic, shares in Amazon have risen to a record high, with customers spending on average $11,000 a second on its products and services.

Beyond just putting more money in Jeff Bezos’ pocket, Helena highlighted that this is having an impact on air

The Big Interview

pollution, both locally and globally.

‘During the pandemic, many more people have been buying from Amazon with items delivered to their homes the next day.

This is a cheap and convenient service, but the only reason it is possible is because the shipping of these products is cheap, and that is because the ships and the vans use cheap and very dirty fuels.

We must encourage people to consume more consciously by making people aware of the impact that their spending habits are having on the environment and public health.

Production has become so globalised it is easy for countries such as the UK to clean up their own pollution, but just taking action at home doesn’t solve the global problem.

We need international global standards that can be adhered to across the board.’

human health and the environment.

However, when looking back, she admitted that her biggest failure is the failure to create the opportunities, especially in developing countries, to reduce particulate matter.

Funding

To achieve the fundamental goal of reducing air pollution and avoiding the worst consequences of climate change, Helena said that she wants every single country to have a strong climate plan, where they look not just at the impacts on the environment, but also the impacts on public health.

‘To achieve this, we want every city to have strong regulations to monitor air pollution in line with the World Health Organisation guidelines.

We want products to have a certification to highlight their environmental footprint and we want to create a movement of consciousness at the citizen level to then push policy makers to take the necessary steps for change.’

Leaders seem to retract to their own sphere of influence with domestic policy issues taking precedence over the global common issues.

But for the future of humanity, politicians need to look at the bigger picture.

Every society is different, but the bottom line is we need to create job opportunities without jeopardizing the environmental footprint of the country.

We can of course fail, but me, being an optimistic, I see an opportunity to really make a difference.’

Like anything, to achieve global success on reducing air pollution, sufficient funding is necessary.

Governments across the world have pledged a green economic recovery from COVID-19, however in the UK we have already seen Clean Air Zones scrapped and vehicle scrappage schemes brought to a premature end.

According to Helena, the funding for the coalition is also in decline: ‘The United States was previously one of our biggest donors, but under this current administration they have not contributed anything.

There is a lot of money for climate action, most countries have a dedicated climate change mitigation fund, and although some of this action will naturally help to reduce air pollution, it is often not the driving purpose of the funding.’

Reflecting Helena has spent the last seven years working for the CACC and has dedicated her career to raising awareness of the impact that these short-lived climate pollutants are having on both

‘But for the future of humanity, politicians need to look at the bigger picture.’

‘Air pollution is very much linked to poverty and uneven distribution of wealth,’ she said.

‘We still have a long way to go to create more equal societies across the world. But maybe the COVID-19 pandemic and a restart of the economy will provide us with a new opportunity to accelerate action on these issues.’

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Delhi

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Local Government Interview

Public health or private wealth - exploring the link between air pollution and inequality The Local Government Information Unit (LGiU’s) Alice Creasy writes on the links between air pollution, public health and social deprivation

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tudies have established clear links between air pollution and health outcomes, with many warning that levels of air pollution have become a silent public health emergency and have been described by leading health professionals as the ‘new tobacco’.

The UN reports that more than 80% of people living in urban areas which monitor air pollution are exposed to air quality levels that exceed WHO guideline limits, with low- and middle-income countries suffering from the highest exposures, both indoors and outdoors. As a result, across the world, air pollution is estimated to cause over 7m deaths annually largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, bladder cancer and acute respiratory infections. More recently there has been compelling evidence to suggest that air pollution worsens the effects of Covid-19.

Air pollution also has a profound impact on mental health. This is a relationship that can take a number of different forms such as the mental health impacts of physical illness linked to air pollution, a lack of access to green space and even a chemical link between depression and particulate pollution.

Environmental quality tends to be significantly worse in poorer neighbourhoods. From toxic waste and polluted water, to litter and the quality of green space. Air pollution is a significant part of this inequality and across the world levels of air pollution are often much higher in deprived neighbourhoods.

America has been a hub of research into this issue. Work

by Yale University found evidence of a widening racial and economic gap when it comes to air pollution in the US with deprived communities (including communities of colour and unemployed people) more at risk from pollution-related health risks than their richer counterparts. Building on this, another study in California found that on average black and latino people breathe in about 40% more particulate matter from cars, trucks and buses than white communities, with households earning less than $20,000 a year and people who don’t own cars suffering vehicle pollution levels about 20% higher than the state average.

Although communities across America have been important in exposing and documenting this inequality, similar patterns have been recorded across the world including in the UK. In 2006 a study by Defra found that levels of particulate pollution were greatest in areas of deprivation. Despite over a decade of air quality policy, a 2019 study revealed that inequality in exposure to trafficrelated air pollution has widened in the UK. In fact, an evidence review by UCL found that deprived communities continue to suffer disproportionately from pedestrian

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deaths, pollution and isolation which can result from living near busy roads. Importantly, research shows that whilst children, young adults, and households in poverty have the highest levels of exposure to air pollution, it is the richer households who are more responsible for it.

Poorer urban communities are also less likely to have access to green space and more likely to live in overcrowded housing, issues which not only impact on air pollution and wellbeing but also increase the risk of infection. As one article stated: ‘With living space, gardens and local area dictating our day-to-day happiness, the wealth gap has never been more glaring’. This issue came to the fore during the UK’s nation-wide lockdown that lasted over 100 days and which has already been re-instated in some areas where there has been a spike in cases. During this time housing inequality emerged as an important factor with research reporting that minority ethnic patients were twice as likely to live in deprived environments and to be admitted to intensive care.

The link between exposure to air pollution and risk of contracting Covid-19 is a growing concern for policymakers and public health professionals. This crisis combined with the growing reality of climate change (which is also set to have the greatest impact on society’s most vulnerable communities) provides a clear mandate for the creation of fairer, healthier and more sustainable urban places across the world. These issues will continue to form a key part of the LGiU’s work going forward.

Alice Creasy - The Local Government Information Unit (LGiU)

Local Government Feature

Are climate change declarations delivering change?

Hundreds of councils have declared a climate emergency, but what impact are they having on local government?

By Jamie Hailstone

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ver the years, local government has been at the forefront of delivering real change in a number of areas, from social care to equal pay.

And with more than two thirds (68%) of councils having declared a climate emergency, it is now playing a key role in protecting the environment.

There are now hundreds of climate emergency declarations in place in town halls around the country, what are local authorities doing to turn these statements into action?

‘For me, declaring a climate emergency is the easy part,’ says Southampton City Council’s cabinet member for green city and place, Cllr Steve Leggett.

‘The more difficult part is saying how will we achieve it, what are our objectives and what is our vision.’

Cllr Leggett says his local authority has been looking at air pollution

since 2014, when it first established a cross-party scrutiny panel to consider the issue and it was one of the first councils to publish a clean air strategy, back in 2016.

‘In March 2017, a motion was put forward by Cllr Christopher Hammond, who is now the leader of the council, declaring a climate crisis. That motion was unanimously supported by both parties.’

But he adds that having a clean air strategy already in place meant the council was able to tap into various central government funding streams to help fund some of the projects it wanted to put in place.

‘One of our early successes was securing £2.7m from the Clean Bus Technology Fund, so all the buses in Southampton have been converted to Euro 6, which emits 55% less Nitrogen Dioxide than Euro 5.’

Southampton City Council has also

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set up a scheme to help taxi drivers switch to low emission vehicles, published a Green City Charter and is about to launch a £20m Green Growth Fund to help roll out solar PV panels across the city.

‘There are a number of councils who have declared a climate emergency, but then they have not even put down a date for being carbon neutral,’ adds Cllr Leggett.

‘Our vision is set out in our Green City charter. The first line says we want to be carbon neutral by 2030, but it also contains a raft of other pledges, including reducing waste, promoting sustainable economic development and about adapting to climate change.’

‘We have an extra £91m in total budgeted for our Green City Agenda over the next three years, plus we now have a team, which has just been assembled. We have the budget in place, we have the plan in place. It now

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Local Government Feature

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needs to be delivered.’

Guildford Borough Council’s lead councillor for climate change, Cllr Jan Harwood says it passed a motion in December 2018, which acknowledged that ‘in our position as a local authority we have a crucial role to play in both leading by example and influencing the way that the residents and businesses of Guildford borough live and work’.

‘As part of our declaration, we made a commitment to work with

a crucial role to play in both leading by example and influencing the way that the residents and businesses of Guildford borough live and work.’

Dr Max Lacey-Barnacle, a research fellow in Energy Justice at the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at the University of Sussex Business School, says Bristol City Council, which was the first local authority in the UK to declare a climate emergency in 2018, has put a number of measures in place, including a commitment to

partners across the borough to become carbon neutral and making the council’s activities net-zero carbon by 2030,’ Cllr Harwood tells Air Quality News.

‘We will play our part in creating a more secure and sustainable power generation and supply infrastructure across the borough. We committed to creating a borough-wide Climate Change Partnership with all sectors, and an action plan for being net-zero carbon across all council operations, and to assist with the delivery of our action plan we will soon be recruiting a climate change officer.’

‘All governments, at national, regional and local levels, have a duty to act,’ adds Cllr Harwood. ‘We have

decarbonise by 2030.

But he adds that many councils and cities across the UK ‘do not exhibit the same level of policy activity or play host to such strong grassroots and community-led action’, which makes Bristol ‘the exception, rather than the rule’.

‘This means that the meaningfulness of climate emergency declarations in terms of translating into impactful change does vary from authority to authority, but Bristol does prove that such declarations can be an effective stimulus towards ambitious decarbonisation programmes,’ says Dr Lacey-Barnacle.

‘The next decade will be a significant test for Bristol City Council

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and for many other councils who have committed to carbon neutrality by 2030. It will be vital to monitor how these programmes and activities can rise to the challenge.’

The Green Alliance’s interim deputy policy director, Roz Bullied, tells Air Quality News that addressing climate change has to be embedded in everything they do, from waste management to planning, procurement and local economic development.

‘However, there is only so much local authorities can do, as funding for environmental activities have been slashed to the bone after years of austerity and limited staff and expertise,’ adds Ms Bullied.

‘They’ve also been held back by central government policy and the limited powers they’re granted.

For instance, the existing planning framework gives councils little ground for requiring proper link up between public transport and new housing developments and years of underinvestment in the country’s existing housing stock leaves a huge energy efficiency retrofit challenge.’

The upcoming planning reforms could be a particular challenge for environmentally aware local authorities, which some have argued will lead to an explosion in new housing, which in turn could damage the natural environment.

‘With many local authorities in the UK having committed to meeting the challenges of climate change, the delivery of the new build agenda must ensure that in parallel with this, the actions needed to tackle climate change are also central to rebuilding our economy, avoiding measures that lock-in higher emissions,’ says Lichfields’ planning director, Jonathan Standen.

There can be no doubt that declaring climate emergencies can raise public awareness of the issue and show that a local authority is serious about tackling pollution. Successfully implementing them requires time, money and stakeholder buy in, which are all in short supply at the moment.

But the local authorities that are persevering should be applauded.

Hopefully, one day they will become the rule, rather than the exception.

Legisation

Protecting air quality after Brexit Tiffany Cloynes, partner at Geldards LLP and Head of Public Sector, England, discusses the importance of protecting air quality after Britain leaves the EU.

T

he strong influence of the European Union on environmental law could make people question whether environmental protection issues such as air quality will be covered effectively after the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union.

In the past, important legislation on environmental issues has originated from or been heavily influenced by EU law. For example, the EU Landfill Directive and Waste Framework Directive were significant in developing the approach to waste management in the European Union, including the UK. High profile challenges from organisations such as ClientEarth over the lack of adequate air quality plans and the rights of citizens to challenge these have been brought by reference to EU directives on air quality.

However, there should not be a drop in environmental standards because the UK has left the EU. The UK Governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s White Paper on the future relationship between the UK and the EU, which was published in 2018, committed to maintaining high standards in environmental law through non-regression and this commitment is being progressed through legislation.

The Environment Bill currently going through Parliament proposes provisions for setting and reviewing long-term targets for environmental protection.

In the area of air quality, the Bill proposes changes to UK legislation to strengthen and clarify requirements relating to the National Air Quality Strategy, local air quality action plans and enforcement of smoke control areas.

Some environmental law which originated in European legislation has been implemented through national legislation and statutory instruments have been made to correct any deficiencies which would otherwise have arisen as a result of the UK leaving the EU. There are pieces of existing legislation in the UK which give significant recognition to the importance of air quality and other environmental protection issues.

These include the Climate Change Act 2008, the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 and the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

It would be possible for legislation to be amended or repealed but developments such as proposals for a UK wide emissions trading system, designed by the UK Government, jointly with the Welsh Government, Scottish Government, and Northern Ireland Executive, to replace the EU system, and steps such as declarations by local authorities of climate change emergencies, with associated action plans, suggests that environmental issues will continue to be prominent in the UK. The effect of devolution could mean that different areas of the UK could have different types and levels of protection for the environment if devolved administrations progress

legislation with a different pace and focus from those of the UK Government.

In Wales for example, the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 has imposed a duty on public bodies to carry out sustainable development and establish a sustainable development principle that public bodies must act in a manner which seeks to ensure that the needs of the present are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

It is possible that without the common obligations imposed through European legislation, the devolved administrations might pursue different approaches and divergence might increase in this as in other areas of law.

However, given the general recognition and public interest in the UK of the importance of air quality and other environmental protection issues, it would be hoped that there will be some consistency, at least as to the extent to which legislation and government policy will address such issues.

In practice, the introduction and maintenance of legislation relating to environmental protection may be affected as much by pressure on parliamentary time and resources as by the lessening of the influence of the European Union.

The environment is important but it has to compete with other important issues including, in the context of the continuing coronavirus pandemic, the need to protect health and safety. This is a scenario which is being played out all across Europe.

Those responsible for making and implementing legislation have challenging roles in addressing important issues and establishing priorities. It is important for them to ensure that appropriate attention is given to environmental issues.

Tiffany Cloynes, partner at Geldards LLP and Head of Public Sector, England,

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