Air pollution has been one of Europe's main political concerns since the late 1970s, and one of the areas in which Europe has been most active in recent years. The EC aim has been to develop an overall strategy through the setting of long-term air quality objectives. A series of Directives has been introduced to control levels of certain pollutants and to monitor their concentrations in the air. These Directives also clearly suggested the importance of a community-wide procedure for reciprocal exchange of information and data relating to ambient air quality and covering all the main pollutants. This led to the announcement of several new environmental policy initiatives, namely, Environment and Health Action Plan (E&HAP), Environmental Technologies Action Plan (ETAP) and the Thematic Strategy on the Urban Environment (TSUE). In addition, the CAFE (Clean Air for Europe) process is at a critical juncture with the preparation of its strategy document. Discussions and preparations on the 7th Framework Programme (FP7) are also underway. CAIR4HEALTH will aid the review and horizon scanning process for key action plans including the Environment and Health Action Plan. It will examine the research and policy-related outputs from clusters, networks, projects and expert groups including those represented by CLEAR and AIRNET.
The overall aim of CAIR4HEALTH is to strengthen and exploit research results obtained by European and other projects related to air quality and health impact in relation to key European sustainable development action plans and strategies.
In so doing CAIR4HEALTH will aid the review and horizon scanning process for key action plans including the Environment and Health Action Plan. It will examine the current European research base - through the research and policy-related outputs from clusters, networks, projects and expert groups including those represented by CLEAR and AIRNET - and propose recommendations to address the key needs of these policy initiatives. It will prioritise the key knowledge gaps and future needs of air quality and health research in the context of E&HAP, ETAP and TSUE. It will also interact and support the policy development and implementation of CAFE strategies and priorities for future calls of FP7. The aim will be achieved through the following specific objectives:
1. To support the E&HAP in its mid-term review as identified in the 4th call of the Work Programme for Global Change.
2. To identify the remaining knowledge gaps in the field of air pollution and health in relation to the objectives of Environment & Health Action Plan.
3. To identify the technology development and deployment needs in the area of air pollution and health impact mitigation, in the context of implementation of the Environmental Technology Action Plan.
4. To identify the R&D needs to facilitate the implementation of the Thematic Strategy on the Urban Environment for improving the quality of life in urban areas in the context of air quality and health impact.
5. To identify research needs and knowledge gaps in relation to the CAFE Thematic Strategy on Air Quality and its future requirements.
6. To support the EU Commission services by providing advice on its R&D priorities to be implemented through mechanisms such as the forthcoming 7th Framework programme.
7. To facilitate the interaction, dissemination and future development of air quality and health research programmes, clusters and networks.
8. To enhance the global dissemination of air quality and health research results for all European stakeholders.
a. CLEAR: Cluster of European Air Quality Research. Aim: To improve our underpinning scientific understanding of urban air pollution and to provide next generation tools for end users and stakeholders to manage the air quality in cities. Website: http://www.nilu.no/clear/index.htm.
b. AIRNET: A Thematic Network on Air Pollution and Health. Aim: To create a widely supported basis for public health policy related to improving air quality in Europe and regulatory needs to achieve that goal. Website: http://airnet.iras.uu.nl/
CAIR4HEALTH will also assist in the analysis and dissemination of results and the preparation of future activities to enabling the Community to achieve and define its future RTD strategic objectives in particular the 7th Framework Programme.
CAIR4HEALTH will provide practical information on how European citizens will be affected as a result of changes in air quality and will provide recommendations on R&D and knowledge gaps that need to be addressed in order to implement efficient strategies.
