More sustainable management of pollution: integrated approach, models and tools

The PUrE (Pollutants in the Urban Environment) research consortium is developing anew decision-support framework for the integrated assessment of options for moresustainable management of urban pollution. This framework involves three steps: (i)mapping the flow of pollutants associated with human activities; (ii) modelling the fateand transport of pollutants in the environment; and (iii) quantifying the environmental,health and socio-economic impacts of urban pollution. The new decision-supportframework provides an integrated approach which will facilitate the comparison ofdifferent management options based on their sustainability. The decision-supportframework includes a suite of different models and tools, to support the sustainabilityappraisal of two or more options, for example: life cycle assessment, source(emissions) characterisation, pollutant fate and transport modelling, environmentalimpact assessment, health impact analysis, ecological impacts assessment, andmulti-criteria decision analysis. This paper presents examples of the methodologiesused by the project researchers to develop various elements of the framework. Thenew framework can be used at different levels, for example, to conduct a simplescreening study as well as for a more detailed assessment. This paper describesmany details of the framework and outlines several case studies developed todemonstrate its application