China and the UK have committed to Carbon Neutrality or Net Zero by 2060 and 2050, respectively, in response to the climate crisis. The majority of carbon neutrality or net zero policies aimed at limiting global temperature increases have the potential to deliver significant improvements in air quality with health and economic benefits. This co-benefit contributes to the case for support of a faster transition to Carbon Neutrality or Net Zero. However, not all carbon policies will benefit air quality. A prominent example is the disastrous impact on air quality caused by the switch from petrol to diesel vehicles to reduce carbon emissions. Some measures such as CCS technologies, decarbonisation of homes, biofuel plantation, and urban forestation, may have disbenefits on outdoor/indoor air quality. Furthermore, Carbon Neutrality or Net Zero policies may further increase air pollution mediated health inequalities, eg, due to relocation of greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions. Therefore, an urgent policy challenge is to optimise Carbon Neutrality or Net Zero options to maximize co-benefits to air quality and health, and to minimize any unintended negative consequences.
The International Workshop on Net Zero and Air Quality aims to capture our current understanding of the co-benefits or disbenefits of Carbon Neutrality or Net Zero policy options on air quality relating to health and economic impacts, and more importantly to identify future research questions and priorities.
Speakers
Prof. Ruth Doherty
University of Edinburgh
Future Climate and Emissions impacts on Air Quality as we head towards Net Zero
Video: https://youtu.be/xx0R5RcqCtE
Prof. Tzung-May Fu
Southern University of Science and Technology
Sensitivities of Ozone Air Pollution in the Beijing−Tianjin−Hebei Area to Local and Upwind Precursor Emissions Using Adjoint Modelling
Video: https://youtu.be/K9gM5a7gAtM
Prof. Dabo Guan
Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences
Tsinghua University
Socioeconomic benefits of the net-zero emission transition
Video: https://youtu.be/2f1MNWmILLo
Prof. Frank Kelly
Imperial College London
Health, Climate Change and the Air Quality challenges ahead
Video: https://youtu.be/K7sp-ykr_Gk
Prof. Ally Lewis
Chair of DEFRA Air Quality Expert Group
University of York
Adoption of hydrogen as a fuel – potential impacts on air quality
Video: https://youtu.be/zLDC3FDAe1g
Prof. Hong Liao
Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology
PM2.5 and O3 air quality and associated health impacts in China from 2015 to 2060 under carbon neutral pathway
Video: https://youtu.be/gGt0WJjUv-Y
Prof. Paul Monks
BEIS Chief Scientist
Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy / University of Leicester
Net Zero and Air Quality – A systems problem
Video: https://youtu.be/INKOYLh4V4s
Prof. Eri Saikawa
Emory University
Climate-Smart Agriculture: Potential for Mitigating Climate Change and Air Pollution
Video: https://youtu.be/v5ksRFfbpoo
Prof. Shu Tao
Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Peking University
Recent trend of Air pollution in China – A sectorially resolved emission-inventory based evaluation
Video: https://youtu.be/Xa1wwLldB6I
Prof. Shuxiao Wang
Tsinghua University
Air quality and health benefits under carbon neutrality policies
Video: https://youtu.be/iGWuvTtQ2e4
Prof. Paul Wilkinson
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Risks and benefits of climate actions
Video: https://youtu.be/v203XH_WSKQ
Prof. Tong Zhu
Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Peking University
Video: https://youtu.be/rluUASc4kMM
Organizing Committee
Professor Zongbo Shi, University of Birmingham (Chair)
Dr Liu Huan, Tsinghua University (Co-Chair)
Dr David Carruthers, Cambridge Environmental Research Consultants
Prof. Hugh Coe, University of Manchester
Prof. Ruth Doherty, University of Edinburgh
Prof. Pingqing Fu, Tianjin University
Prof. Roy Harrison, University of Birmingham
Prof. Frank Kelly, Imperial College London
Prof. James Lee, University of York
Prof. Hong Li, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences
Prof. Jie Li, Institute of Atmospheric Physics
Dr Miranda Loh, Institute of Occupational Health
Dr Keding Lu, Peking University
Dr Jing Meng, University College London
Prof. Pinhua Xie, Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics
Prof. Longyi Shao, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing)
Prof. Guoliang Shi, Nankai University
Prof. Dominick Spracklen, University of Leeds
Dr Shengrui Tong, Institute of Chemistry
Prof. Oliver Wild, Lancaster University
Prof. Xuejun Wang, Peking University
Dr Yanli Zhang, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry
Administrator
Dr Clarissa Baldo, University of Birmingham
Links
Workshop programme and recordings (download in pdf)
Contact
For any queries, please contact Clarissa Baldo (c.baldo@bham.ac.uk), project administrator of COP-AQ