Inconsistencies between Estimated Transport Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Urban Mobility Plan of Manaus City

The Urban Mobility Plan (PlanMob) as an instrument for implementing the National Urban Mobility Policy (PNMU) was promulgated in 2012 (Federal Law No. 122.587). This regulatory framework established for municipalities with more than 20 thousand inhabitants the obligation to prepare and submit the PlanMob until April of 2018, as a condition to apply for Federal funds. According to the law, PlanMob must be integrated into the Municipal Master Plan and contain objectives to increase Eco-friendly mobility including public transport systems. In Manaus, the PlanMob was published by means of the Municipal Law 2074 of 2015, which points out two intervention scenarios, but presents inconsistencies in the proposals, regarding the reduction of emissions, due to the joint treatment of gases of greenhouse and local effects, whose behavioral tendencies are antagonistic. Such proposals, besides not separating greenhouse gases and other pollutants, presented the best scenario of emission reduction for individual transport without making reference to strategies for the reduction of road traffic congestion. In addition, in the horizon 2035 the reduction of emissions pointed out is of the order of 3%, maintaining the competition with the public transportation systems. To make the comparison, emissions from the Manaus transport system were estimated using the bottom-up approach (IPCC, 2006) for the period between 2010 and 2016. The results show that the estimates show a bias in the performance of the series compared to the forecasts contained in PlanMob for the same years and for the projected year (2035). While the estimates show continued growth in CO2 emissions, PlanMob projects its reduction, including in the reference scenario, when no intervention should occur in the road network and in the public transport system.O Plano de Mobilidade Urbana (PlanMob) como instrumento de efetivação da Política Nacional de Mobilidade Urbana foi promulgado na Lei Federal n° 12.587 de 2012. Esse marco regulatório instituí aos municípios com mais de 20 mil habitantes a obrigação da elaboração e apresentação do PlanMob até abril/2018, como condição para aptidão de investimentos de recursos federais ao município. De acordo com a lei, o PlanMob deverá estar integrado ao Plano Diretor Municipal e conter objetivos para alavancar a mobilidade não-motorizada e os modos coletivos de transporte. Em Manaus, o PlanMob foi publicado por meio da Lei municipal 2074 de 2015, o qual assinala dois cenários de intervenção, porém apresenta inconsistências nas proposições, no que tange à redução das emissões, em função de tratar em conjunto gases de efeito estufa e local, cujas tendências comportamentais são antagônicas. Tais proposições, além de não separar gases e poluentes, demonstra o melhor cenário de redução das emissões para o transporte individual, entretanto, não elenca estratégias para a redução de congestionamentos nas vias. Além disso, no último ano horizonte (2035) a redução das emissões apontada é da ordem de 3%, mantendo acirrada a competição com o modal coletivo. Para elaborar comparativo foram estimadas as emissões do sistema de transportes de Manaus tomando como referência a abordagem bottom-up (IPCC, 2006) para os anos de 2010 a 2016. Os resultados apontam que as estimativas apresentam viés no comportamento das séries em comparação às previsões contidas no PlanMob para os mesmos anos e para as projeções do ano-horizonte de 2035. Enquanto as estimativas apresentam crescimento continuado nas emissões de CO2, o PlanMob projeta sua redução, inclusive no cenário de referência, quando nenhuma intervenção deve ocorrer nos eixos viários e no sistema de transportes públicos

Surrounding greenness is associated with lower risk and burden of low birth weight in Iran

Abstract The nexus between prenatal greenspace exposure and low birth weight (LBW) remains largely unstudied in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We investigated a nationwide retrospective cohort of 4,021,741 live births (263,728 LBW births) across 31 provinces in Iran during 2013–2018. Greenness exposure during pregnancy was assessed using satellite-based normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and enhanced vegetation index (EVI). We estimated greenness-LBW associations using multiple logistic models, and quantified avoidable LBW cases under scenarios of improved greenspace through counterfactual analyses. Association analyses provide consistent evidence for approximately L-shaped exposure-response functions, linking 7.0–11.5% declines in the odds of LBW to each 0.1-unit rise in NDVI/EVI with multiple buffers. Assuming causality, 3931–5099 LBW births can be avoided by achieving greenness targets of mean NDVI/EVI, amounting to 4.4–5.6% of total LBW births in 2015. Our findings suggest potential health benefits of improved greenspace in lowering LBW risk and burden in LMICs

WP2 Review and gaps identification in AQ and HIA methodologies, D2.7 Summary review of air quality and health assessment methods

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

WP 4 Guidance on integrated air quality and health assessment systems :D4.4 Final version of the Guidance document

WP4 - D4.4info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Optimal air quality policies and health: a multi-objective nonlinear approach

The use of modelling tools to support decision-makers to plan air quality policies is now quite widespread in Europe. In this paper, the Regional Integrated Assessment Tool (RIAT+), which was designed to support policy-maker decision on optimal emission reduction measures to improve air quality at minimum costs, is applied to the Porto Urban Area (Portugal). In addition to technological measures, some local measures were included in the optimization process. Case study results are presented for a multi-objective approach focused on both NO2 and PM10 control measures, assuming equivalent importance in the optimization process. The optimal set of air quality measures is capable to reduce simultaneously the annual average concentrations values of PM10 and NO2 in 1.7 and 1.0 μg/m3, respectively. This paper illustrates how the tool could be used to prioritize policy objectives and help making informed decisions about reducing air pollution and improving public health

Current European AQ planning at regional and local scale

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe