Exploring barriers to and opportunities for the co-management of air quality and carbon in South West England: a review of progress

Abstract

Due to the common sources of emissions of both air quality pollutants and greenhouse gases, management measures directed at one category of emissions are likely to positively impact the other. Through the local air quality management (LAQM) process, local authorities are required to monitor and measure specified air pollutants, the sources of which are also common to the primary sources of carbon emissions at a local level. This research tracks the progression of local authority management of carbon emissions and examines the barriers and opportunities for the integration of carbon emissions into the LAQM process. Results are triangulated from three core research methods deployed in South West England: a time series of local authority questionnaire surveys; secondary data analysis of active Air Quality Action Plans; and case study interviews of six local authorities in the region. The research concludes that the absence of statutory targets for carbon emission reductions remains a substantial barrier for local authority carbon management initiatives. However, in order to utilise scarce resources in the most efficient manner, local authorities should draw upon the existing skill set of their Air Quality Officers.

Local Air Quality Management policy and practice in the UK: The case for greater Public Health integration and engagement

“…This has been assessed and corroborated on many occasions, both generally (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, 2013; House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee, 2011; In-house Policy Consultants, 2010) and from policy-specific perspectives e.g. climate change (Baldwin et al, 2009) and transport planning (Olowoporoku et al, 2012). The latter assessment of LAQM and local transport planning process connections in England, and linked research, revealed that policy integration facilitated better cooperation (Olowoporoku et al, 2012;Olowoporoku et al, 2011;Olowoporoku et al, 2010).…”

Co-managing carbon and air quality: pros and cons of local sustainability initiatives

“…Owing 10 to the lack of a formal policy 'home' for climate change within LAs in the UK, there has been a 11 particularly strong set of arguments for integrating climate change strategies into aspects of well-12 established local air quality management (LAQM) remits. These initiatives have been broadly referred 13 to as 'co-management' (Baldwin et al, 2009). 14 15…”

“…The links between air quality and carbon management lie not only in overlaps between the sources of 72 interest, but also in the skills and policy understandings needed for their effective management 73 (Baldwin et al, 2009). Devising the best approach to achieve 'win-wins' (i.e.…”

“…Devising the best approach to achieve 'win-wins' (i.e. likely to result in the 74 reduction of pollutants of importance to air quality and climate change) from such co-management 75 initiatives is an evolving phenomenon (Baldwin et al, 2009). Currently (2012) the policy of managing 76 climate change through local environmental initiatives is gaining ground and increasing amounts of 77 mitigation and adaptation methods for climate change are being implemented at local scales (AQMRC, 78 2010).…”

A social and spatial analysis of emissions from private vehicle use in Great Britain

“…Baldwin et al [3] have shown that there is potentially much knowledge in terms of emissions management that is worthy of transfer from the domain of air pollution to that of carbon/greenhouse gas management. However, given the increasingly apparent failure of hotspot management to substantially reduce air pollution exceedences, we argue here that there is knowledge and thinking that can be transferred in the other direction, from carbon and energy management to air quality management.…”