The 2013 edition of Green Week, the biggest annual conference on European environment policy, will take place from 4 to 7 June at a new venue, The Egg Conference Centre in Brussels. This year's theme is Air quality.
Despite progress in recent years, several air quality standards are still widely exceeded in the EU's most densely populated areas, especially from pollutants such as particulate matter, ground-level ozone, and nitrogen dioxide. 2013 will be a year in which the Commission's current air policy is reviewed, with a focus on finding ways to improve the quality of the air we breathe.
Green Week offers a unique opportunity for debate and exchanges of experience and best practice. Over the past decade, the conference has established itself as an unmissable event for anyone involved with protecting the environment. The 2012 edition attracted some 3.100 participants from government, business and industry, non-governmental organisations, academia and the media.
Green Week is open to the public and participation is free of charge.
Here is a link to the Green Week edition of DG ENV's magazine, Environment for Europeans.
If you would like to contact us, please send an email to this address: Env-greenweek@ec.europa.eu
The Green Week Team
The air quality in the EU has been significantly improved over the last two decades, mainly due to significant emission reductions at the source of emissions from industry, transport and energy production. Nevertheless, the latest scientific evidence tells us that more needs to be done: air pollution still poses an unacceptable threat to our health, causing unnecessary premature deaths as well as respiratory, cardiovascular and cancer diseases, with associated human suffering. It also generates high economic costs for society linked to e.g. hospital admissions, lost working days and damage to ecosystems through eutrophication and acidification. This opening session will set the scene for the week's discussions, looking back at past achievements, summarising the present situation, outlining the challenges ahead, and looking forward to the Commission's air quality policy package to be presented this autumn.
Please note all speakers are still to be confirmed, except Commissioner Potocnik
The EU air quality policy is currently under review, to identify ways and means to reduce air pollutants to reach the overall EU air policy objective as enshrined in the 6th and 7th EU Environment Action Programme to achieve levels that do not give rise to significant negative impacts on and risks to human health and the environment. This session will present the main findings in the on-going review, followed by a discussion with the audience on some of the key policy options that are under consideration for the air quality policy package to be presented this autumn.
This event takes Sustainable Cites as its focus - an important outcome of Rio+20, and one where air quality factors greatly since cities consume 70% of global energy, emit 70% of greenhouse gas emissions and where their expansion presents a range of challenges. The purpose of the event will be to gather views on how the issue of Sustainable Cities, and its related policy work will play a role in the forthcoming universal Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) & post-2015 development discussions. Importantly, this discussion will follow the report of the UN Secretary General’s High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
For the purpose of the discussion, panellists and participants will need to consider how all the pillars of sustainable development (economic, social and environmental) could be incorporated into a potential SDG dedicated to cities (or perhaps the SDGs more broadly), with the added complexity of what works inside the EU as well as what works outside of it.
This session will present the status of the evidence on the health effects of ambient air pollution. General conclusions from a recent international project REVIHAAP coordinated by the WHO Regional Office for Europe to provide the European Commission and its stakeholders with evidence-based advice on the health aspects of air pollution will be presented.
In Europe, the population exposed to levels of particulate matter, O3 or PAHs above the reference values for the protection of human health varies between 16 and 30%. Air pollution also causes ecosystem eutrophication, acidification and vegetation oxidative stress. In addition, many air pollutants contribute also to global warming.
The identification of air pollution sources in areas where the legislation thresholds are exceeded is of utmost relevance for the development of cost-effective and successful remediation measures. For that reason, the apportionment of pollution to its sources is required explicitly or implicitly in many tasks concerning the air quality management (air quality assessment, development of action plans, identification of natural sources, etc.).
The issue of pollution sources will be addressed in this session in presentations focusing on three main questions (see below). The second part of the session will be a round table involving some of the major actors on air pollution to comment on the presentations general outcome and discuss about the possible solutions to the existing and emerging problems. To provide a direct experience about sources, during the session, personal exposure to aerosol and gaseous pollutants will be monitored using portable devices indoor and outdoor and the results will be displayed on a monitor in real-time.
Question 1: Why is source identification needed?
Question 2: What are the major pollution sources in Europe?
Question 3: What are the time trends and what solutions are possible?
A reception hosted by the European Commission and the Association for Emissions Control, featuring a debate on “Innovating for Cleaner Air”. Topics to be discussed include new technologies to mitigate exhaust emissions from motor vehicles, such as Gasoline Particulate Filters for gasoline direct injection cars, and advanced combined after-treatment systems for diesel vehicles. Commission Vice-President and Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship Antonio Tajani and Commissioner for Environment Janez Potočnik will address the audience and high-level representatives of the European emissions control industry will present insights on innovative developments in the industry. After-treatment systems for reducing emissions from passenger cars, trucks and buses, non-road mobile machinery and motorcycles will also be displayed. The exhibition will give participants a chance to study real-scale emission control technologies.
The Member States (MS) are obliged by EU legislation to report on air quality (AQ) and the exceedance of pollution threshold. This session, will provide an overview of AQ monitoring and modelling tools, essential for EU Air Quality Policy evidence as well as new approaches. All MS have developed own AQ measurement capacities, and in the last decade a lot of harmonisation efforts have been made at EU level (e.g. Aquila activities to guarantee comparable monitoring standards. The JRC manages periodic monitoring inter-comparison exercises, where member states are invited to calibrate their monitors against pre definite mixtures of gases. Efforts are also made to better rationalise the collection and AQ data flows for reporting, in particular through the EEA and EIONET activities (e.g. AirBase) and with the SEIS (Shared Environment Information System) initiative. In parallel progress has been made in the field of modelling at national and EU level The Fairmode initiative focusses on the better specification of models and their usage in relation to assessment and planning as specified by the AQ Directives. The JRC is defining, in a way similar to Aquila, common quality stands for model simulations so that the use of these important tools can respond to harmonized standards. The Copernicus program (previously named GMES) aims at providing operational services for the monitoring of our environment. The existing pilot service (MACC-II) for atmosphere monitoring includes a component providing information on the key pollutants over Europe in support of assessment and forecast. Key aspects of the system are the optimal blending of ground level measurements and space based observations through data assimilation techniques as well as embracing existing European modelling expertise through ensemble techniques.
There are no limits to the distance that air pollution can travel. Hence, our air quality depends on the countries bordering the EU. In this session we will examine how air quality is treated in international fora and learn about developments in the Gothenburg Protocol. We will be given the point of view of EU neighbours on air quality issues. Since good air quality is a common goal for all Europeans, we will see how the EU is contributing to achieve this goal in our Eastern neighbourhood. The session will help us understand how to act locally for a global impact and how to cooperate at international regional level on improving air quality.
Past abatement policies have resulted in better air quality. But we are facing new threats: the smaller particles become, the deeper they penetrate into the lung. Novel emission sources create awesome air pollutants. Different scientific evidence tells us that certain air pollutants are highly climate relevant. The session will inform and discuss new challenges in air monitoring.
EU air quality legislation leaves substantial discretion to Member States on how to achieve the detailed provisions and the main responsibility for implementation are often delegated to regional and/or local authorities. At the same time, many local and regional authorities lack the necessary legislative or financial means and/or experience in identifying and implementing the necessary cost-effective measures to execute those responsibilities. As a result, local/regional action may be insufficient or put in place too late. Transboundary emissions, outside the competence area for the local/regional authorities also add to the complexity. This part of the session will discuss these challenges, and seek to identify appropriate responses at EU level.
In the drive to reach ambitious EU renewable energy targets, woody biomass constitutes and emerging solution. Set to become the biggest biomass plantation in Europe, the short rotation hybrid poplar trees plantation in the Pomerania region in Poland is an excellent example of an initiative to develop a new carbon-neutral energy crop on marginal or unused agricultural land.
During the session the speakers will address two related topics – a case study of the of the Pomerania plantation, explaining the techniques and technology used and addressing the broad socio-economic and environmental benefits of woody biomass plantations in marginal agricultural economies; and the impact on regional air quality, in particular in comparison to the impact of fossil fuels (in regard to the growth phase, combustion of the final energy product and reduced need for energy imports).
For the first time in history, the majority of the world’s population lives in cities. This has meant an increase in urban air pollution, a phenomenon which the World Health organisation says is responsible for 1.3 million premature deaths per year, 800,000 of them in Asia. The economic cost of urban air pollution is also enormous and can be a shigh as 5% of GDP. The most severe aior pollution is recorded in rapidly evolving cities in emerging economies, but the problem is widespread and affects all countries. How are cities tackling the challenge of improving air quality and how can these measures be reconciled with demographic pressures and contribute to economic growth and quality of life? What are the main barriers to reducing urban air pollution and in which ways are they different in developed and developing countries? What mistakes can cities in emerging countries avoid by learning from urban transformations in Europe? What lessons can be drawn from cities pioneering sustainable solutions and which types of initiatives, instruments and urban planning models and practices have proved most successful?
This session will present results from various exercises to quantify the burden of disease from air pollution, including from recent projects at European and global level.
Our ability to achieve global sustainability in the short-and long-term is strongly linked to the development of our energy systems. Energy-related activities are responsible for a major share of man-made emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants into the atmosphere. These atmospheric pollutants are primarily associated with impacts on human health (fine particulate matter, ozone) and on ecosystems (eutrophication and acid deposition), but they also interact with the Earth’s radiation balance and contribute to climate change.
This session will focus on the links between the energy – climate – air-quality systems, which provide opportunities for integrated policy development leading to win-win-win situations, while avoiding unwanted trade-offs (e.g. household climate-friendly wood burning with uncontrolled PM emissions) in Europe.
Questions addressed by this session are: What are the windows of opportunity following Europe’s Roadmap 2050? How can we improve energy security, climate and air quality in a cost-efficient and sustainable way? How to deal with conflicting policies (e.g. adverse health effects of biofuels)?
This workshop will include an overview of the main factors affecting indoor air quality and impacts on health. It will also consider a number of particular issues such as the role of outdoor air quality, ventilation and consumer products in more detail. There will be the opportunity to discuss current and future action on indoor air quality with involvement of experts and stakeholders.
The objective of this session is to discuss how and in what way reductions of methane and black carbon could best be scaled up to meet air quality and climate objectives.
Policies are in place in the EU to reduce both methane and black carbon. The EU's methane emissions already dropped by 30% between 1990 and 2010, mainly as a result of EU waste legislation. Black carbon emissions in the EU have declined as a side effect of legislation on emissions from vehicle legislation. The total emission reductions expected (in the EU and globally) are, however, not enough to meet EU air quality objectives or to stay within 2°C climate ceiling.
The review of the EUStrategy on Air Pollution examines technical options and costs to reduce both black carbon and methane. This is especially important for further reductions from vehicles, off-road machinery, sulphur from ships, diesel-related fuels, coal used in small combustion installation and field burning in agriculture.
The Commission also participates in the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to promote further reduction of short lived climate pollutants globally. This is needed since the greenhouse gas emission reductions pledges in the international climate negotiations are not sufficient to limit temperature increase to 2 degree Celsius. Since neither the 2°C ceiling nor the air quality targets of the thematic strategy are going to be met with current policies, the central issue is how best to scale up emission reductions.
The expected outcome of the session is an identification of the best policy options to improve both air quality and climate in and outside the EU.
Presentations on:
Half of EU land is farmed. Agriculture and environment are inextricably linked and sustainable agriculture is an EU priority. Farming practices have a profound influence on air quality, by contributing to emission of certain air pollutants, such as ammonia, and greenhouse gases, such as methane and nitrous oxide.
This session will explore the relation between agriculture and air quality in the EU, addressing existing policies, trends and challenges. Technology solutions, for reducing the impact of agriculture on air quality, will also be discussed.
In various environmental fields it is becoming increasingly evident that we have reached our planet’s boundaries and that ecological resilience is at stake. Air quality is one of these fields which are in danger of irreversible changes as a consequence of human actions. Not only is air pollution is still negatively impacting human health, the quality of life and the environment, there is also a tendency of an increase in and a diversification of pollutants. Though air quality has improved in the EU, compliance with the National Emission Ceilings directive remains difficult for some member states and air pollution in developing countries continues to be worrisome.
The goal of GLOBE EU’s contribution to Green Week 2013 is to identify ways to urge the relevant actors to act. The main question to be answered during the session is: how to change the current course which is damaging to air quality and by engaging citizens (especially the most vulnerable groups), politicians and the industry in attempts to diminish the health hazards and environmental degradation as a result of air pollution? What is needed to empower these actors to act in favor of better air quality? And how can environmentally ambitious businesses help in improving air quality and reducing pollution? This panel will explore various ideas and come up with a set of recommendations and best practices.
This session will be organized under the scope of UNEP International Resource Panel and will make the case for the potential of resource efficiency/decoupling policies in terms of reductions in air pollution and climate change mitigation. Through a series of expert presentations and a panel discussion including Q&A, the session will aim at engaging the discussants and the audience in an open dialogue on the potentials and limits of resource efficiency/decoupling policies in the improvement of air quality and reduced GHG generation, in a joint exploration of existing synergies between resource efficiency and low-carbon policies and technologies, their tradeoffs and associated nexus issues as related to air pollution abatement.
The Cohesion Fund and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) provide the main EU co-financing mechanisms for combatting air pollution within Europe. However, these funds have not been used as extensively in the air field than in other environmental sectors, such as water and waste. This part of the session will therefore present some examples of where the ERDF and Cohesion Fund have been used across the EU territory with a view to consolidating such experiences, identifying good practice and preparing for the future co-financing period 2014-20.
The introduction of the Euro emission standards for new vehicles is a tremendous success story. But is this true for all vehicles and all critical substances? What about ‘real-world’ emissions? The session will briefly highlight past accomplishments, but then focus on potential future challenges. It will cover light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles as well as non-road mobile machinery. A key objective will be to identify international best-practice examples and to discuss how Europe might further improve its existing regulatory framework. Time for a critical discussion between various stakeholders will be provided.
This session will offer an insight into the results of the Air Implementation Pilot (2012-2013). This project focused on gaining a better understanding of cities´ strengths and needs related to the implementation of EU air quality legislation, understanding the challenges and needs cities face in the following issues: local emission inventories, modelling activities, monitoring networks, trends and management practices, and public information. The outcomes of the Air Implementation Pilot will help in the design of future programmes aimed at improving urban air quality.
The EU leaders set the target of halting the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services in the EU by 2020, and restoring them in so far as feasible, while stepping up the EU contribution to averting global biodiversity loss. Air pollution and reactive nitrogen in particular is an important threat to the environment and biodiversity in EU. While the methodology to quantify negative health impacts from air pollutants is well established, the impacts of air pollution on biodiversity and ecosystems are less well understood. The on-going air quality review will explore the possibilities to establish a more concrete link between air pollution levels and changes in ecosystems or species composition and ecosystems services and to, as far as if possible, quantify the impacts of air pollution reduction measures on the achievement of the EU and global 2020 biodiversity targets. Moreover, air pollution has a significant negative impact on European ecosystems (air, water and soil) and Natura 2000, in particular through eutrophication. At this session, the latest scientific findings in these two areas will be presented and discussed.
The session will be devoted to illustrate the main research findings relevant for the design and implementation of the EU Air quality policies. The presentations will be addressed to a broad audience and therefore will focus on those aspects closer to the daily life of the citizen. Main focus will be on the impact of air pollution on human health, environment and climate and on the integrated assessment tools needed to design adequate policies in the EU.
Clean fuels should substitute oil in all transport modes in the long term, according to the Clean Power for Transport package the European Commission presented in January 2013. A comprehensive European alternative fuels strategy identifies the main options: electricity, biofuels, hydrogen, natural gas (compressed as CNG and liquefied as LNG), and LPG.
All these alternative fuels will bring considerable benefits for environment, in particular the improvement of air quality and the reduction of CO2 emissions from transport. The ultimate goal of zero pollutant emissions can be achieved with electricity and hydrogen; Very low levels of particulate matter and nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions are obtained with natural gas (both with CNG and LNG) and also with LPG.
Consistent build-up of infrastructure is required by a proposal for a Directive, in order to provide a reliable long-term framework for industry and confidence for consumers. An LNG Action Plan sets out an agenda for the market development of LNG for waterway transport, which should allow substantial improvements in the environmental performance with clean fuels for ships and boats.
The session will open with an overview on the Clean Power for Transport package, then the participants will be informed on the technological, economic, and environmental perspectives of alternative fuels for the different transport modes, to provide the basis for a broad discussion between speakers and audience.
Mainly in the case of road and air traffic, local authorities and environmental offices are challenged by noise and simultaneously air quality issues. Sometimes initiatives aimed at reducing the impact of one are beneficial as well for the other, sometimes may instead be detrimental. Still often the two issues are tackled without considering the reciprocal impacts. This session will stimulate the debate on if and why air quality and noise are not tackled together, and if legislation can help maximising the potential synergies.
The primary purpose of the session is to improve the confidence, knowledge and skills of Europe’s school children, helping them understand the importance of air quality, how it’s affected, the role of the EU, and ultimately empowering them to change their behaviour.
Debating Europe is organising this session under the banner of its newly launched Debating Europe Schools project, specifically designed to give students the chance to question policy makers, debate with fellow students and learn about the work of the EU.
The session will comprise pre-recorded video questions on air quality from school children across Europe, which will be put to a panel of senior EU policymakers and experts sitting at the Green Week venue.
The session will focus on the main research and innovation challenges that need to be addressed in the future. The session will include the point of view of the Scientific Community and also the views from the European Commission services (Directorate General Environment) responsible for EU air policy. The challenges associated with air quality monitoring and integrating human health, climate change and air quality will also be addressed.
While waterborne transport is seen as one of the cleanest modes of transport (in terms of emissions per cargo unit), more can and has to be done to further improve the environmental performance of shipping and inland waterway transport. Furthermore, increasing oil prices put pressure on the industry to progress on energy efficiency and increase the use of alternative fuels. At the same time, economic challenges such as low freight rates and resulting low investment leverage as well as increasing competition and lack of infrastructure for cleaner fuels need to be taken into account by policy makers and industry players.
This session builds on and goes beyond the preceding "Clean Fuels for Clean Air" session by presenting some alternative concepts and projects to drastically reduce emissions from shipping. For maritime transport, we will hear about some concrete concepts and plans developed and presented by ship operating companies. The inland waterways perspective for the greening of the European fleet will then be presented and the European Environmental Agency will kick off the Q&A session by commenting on the current environmental performance of shipping.
Cities are working hard to improve air quality in line with the EU legislation, which however also brings challenges for them in their dependence on source-based measures to reduce emissions. The workshop will present successful examples from European Green Capitals and cities signed up to the Covenant of Mayors in urban air quality management, focusing on actions such as integrated urban mobility and spatial planning, innovative logistics concepts, or reducing emissions from heating, and how to cope with the challenges mentioned. The session is part of the 2nd meeting of the Committee of the Regions/European Commission joint Technical Platform for Cooperation on the Environment which aims to promote solutions for better implementation of EU environment law.
Emissions from small scale space and water heating, in particular related to oil, coal and biomass, are an important source of particulate matter (PM) in Europe. It is also an important source of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. The reduction of emissions from those installations is also important because they often have a very long lifetime. There are a number of options to replace the direct use of fossil fuels that mitigate the emissions from small scale residential heating. They include electricity, natural gas and advanced solutions for bioenergy stoves and boilers. Speakers will discuss the various solutions available and their benefits for EU air quality and climate change objectives.
The session will be devoted to present the innovations that contribute to cleaner air for the European citizen. Focus will be on innovative solutions in cities and on the reduction of emissions of atmospheric pollutants from the transport sector. In addition, concrete examples will be presented by EU FP7 project Citi-Sense and by the EEA topic centre in air pollution and climate change mitigation.
NB new timeslot!
This session will provide information on how the regulation of emissions from large combustion plants has evolved from the Large Combustion Plants (LCP) Directive to the Industrial Emissions Directive. It will give an update on the on-going revision of the Reference Document on Best Available Techniques (BAT) for these plants. The evolution of the emissions of NOx, SO2 and dust from these plants over the past years will be illustrated as well as their impact on air quality and relevance for achieving the national emission ceilings.
Air quality problems cannot be resolved, or EU air policy implemented, by cities and any other level of government alone. A multilevel approach is required, where each level of government (European, national, regional and local) takes its share of the responsibility and those actions that must or can best be taken at that level. The session will look into innovative governance techniques that can help cities in achieving cleaner air for all, such as cross-governmental teams, integrated national/regional implementation strategies or agreements between different levels of governance. The session is part of the 2nd meeting of the Committee of the Regions/European Commission joint Technical Platform for Cooperation on the Environment, which aims to promote local solutions for a better implementation of EU environment law.
This session will examine two case studies that engage European citizens and schoolchildren with the environmental issues of air quality, including collecting data and monitoring changes over time. The session will review the opportunities and benefits of building communication and public engagement into policies and initiatives, and the opportunities for dialogue with citizens to inform air quality measures in the future.
Technological progress is opening up possibilities to extract unconventional fossil fuels such as shale gas, tight gas, coal bed methane, tight oil or shale oil, from geological formations which were previously too complex or too expensive to extract. This typically requires the use of hydraulic fracturing: injecting in the underground a significant amount of water (mixed with sand and chemicals) to break the rock and to extract the resources.
A study on the impacts of unconventional gas development on the climate was published by the Commission in September 2012, together with a study on the environmental risks of unconventional hydrocarbons extraction involving the use of high volume hydraulic fracturing (e.g. shale gas) (http://ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/energy/uff_studies_en.htm). The latter identifies specific environmental risks associated with these operations, including risks of air emissions.
Measures to prevent, reduce and manage these risks are being examined by the Commission, in the context of an initiative foreseen in its 2013 Work Programme, subject to an impact assessment. This will aim at delivering a framework to address identified regulatory shortcomings and provide maximum legal clarity and predictability to both market operators and citizens across the EU.
This session will provide information on on-going Commission's activities on unconventional fossil fuels (e.g. shale gas), with a focus on climate and environmental challenges and ways to address them.
NB new timeslot!
This session will examine the way in which the recently strengthened 'Sevilla' process for the elaboration of Best Available Techniques (BAT) will produce positive results for the protection of the environment as a whole in the years to come both within the EU and beyond.
Evening session 18.30 – 19.30
Citizen science – harnessing people power to provide a wide body of data – has enormous potential for EU research: OPAL, a UK-based project, recently reached over half a million citizens. During this European Year of Citizens, a major new initiative is being launched to develop an EU-wide Association to promote Citizen Science. Based in London with representatives from 15 EU countries and a target for memberships of all EU Members, the new body is aiming to engage 5 million people across the EU over the next 4 years. This session is your chance to learn about what the new body proposes and see what Citizen Science can deliver for EU Policy.
10.00 – 12.30
The last session at Green Week 2012 will seek to identify key avenues for action to effectively implement EU air quality legislation and eventually reach the long term target to achieve "levels of air quality that do not give rise to significant negative impacts on and risks to human health and the environment". Participants in this session will consider the most promising solutions, tools and milestones for improving EU's air quality in the short, medium and long term perspective, and debate some of the main policy options for the up-coming EU air policy package to be presented in the autumn.
Please note all speakers are still to be confirmed, except Commissioner Potocnik
“The EGG”
Rue Bara 175, 1070 City of Brussels
For more information on how to access the venue, please see the “Contact us” section on the Centre’s website
Together with the Green Week sessions and workshops, taking place in The Egg conference centre, 173-177 rue Bara, 1070 Brussels, there will be an exhibition with around 40 stands displaying green business solutions, NGO activities, local and regional authorities, European and international bodies, and so on. This exhibition will run during the four days of the Green Week conference.
The European Environmental Agency (EEA) is an agency of the European Union. Our task is to provide sound, independent information on the environment. We are a major information source for those involved in developing, adopting, implementing and evaluating environmental policy, and also the general public. The EEA has 32 member countries.
Homepage: eea.europa.eu
Since 2001 the Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea of Italy and the Regional Environmental Center have established a partnership promoting environmentally sustainable solutions and transferring valuable knowledge and experience to Central and Eastern European countries and beyond. Their joint action has promoted Europe-wide networks and significant environmental projects.
www.minambiente.it
www.rec.org
The SEFIRA project (start June 1st 2013) – coordinated by DESP @ Uniurb – addresses socioeconomic aspects of air quality in EU+27. Its main objective is to coordinate transdisciplinary scientific and socio-economic analysis in order to support the review and implementation of air quality directive by the European Commission (EC) led by DG Environment.
www.sefira-project.eu
The APPRAISAL FP7 project, coordinated by University of Brescia (IT), aims to review and design Integrated Assessment models and tools for regional and local air quality planning. The project supports the ongoing EU Air Quality Policy review process.
www.appraisal-fp7.eu
The European Green Capital Award is a DG Environment initiative. The award is given to a European city that has demonstrated a well-established record of achieving high environmental standards and is committed to ambitious goals for future environmental improvement and sustainable development and will act as a role model to inspire other cities.
Brussels Environment is the administration for the environment and energy in the Brussels-Capital Region.
Our mission? To study, monitor and manage the air, water, soil, waste, noise, and nature (green spaces and biodiversity). but also to issue environmental permits, monitor their observance, develop and support environmental education projects in Brussels schools, and participate in meetings and negotiations at the Belgian and international level. Finally, Brussels Environment has developed its activities in the field of eco-construction and the connections between health and the environment.
As the European Commission’s in-house science service, the Joint Research Centre provides independent, evidence-based scientific and technical support for European Union policies. The JRC addresses key societal challenges while stimulating innovation by developing new methods, tools and standards to ensure a healthy environment, energy efficiency, renewable energies and consumer safety.
http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/jrc
Nantes Metropole, the Nantes Urban Community, comprising 24 municipalities, representing a territory of 53,350 hectares and 590 000 inhabitants. Nantes is the European Green Capital 2013. This award recognises and rewards the work and efforts of Nantes Métropole in the feld of environmental protection and the responsible development of the conurbation over more than twenty years.
www.nantesgreencapital.eu
About the UN in Brussels:
The United Nations in Brussels is comprised of 29 UN agencies, funds and programmes. Our staff act as a coherent team and speak with one voice in European fora in relation to policy and advocacy with the EU, as well as in more operational matters as appropriate. More specific information on the individual UN entities in Brussels can be found on our website: www.unbrussels.org
MTT is a leading research institute developing sustainability and competitiveness of the food system. We produce and disseminate scientific research information and transfer technology. Our five research areas are: 1) Sustainable and competitive food production, 2) Responsible food chain, 3) Environmental -friendly agriculture, 4) Green economy opportunities and 5) Smartly from renewable resources.
Our website is: www.mtt.fi
The Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants is catalysing rapid reductions in these harmful pollutants to protect human health and the environment now and slow the rate of climate change within the first half of this century.
In the past, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment succeeded in substantially improving the protection of people's health and the environment from air pollutants. However, additional effort is needed to ensure further progress. Cost-efficient measures have been identified to mitigate emissions in particular from small combustion installations and the agricultural sector.
http://www.bmu.de/english
Alcoa Wheel Products - a division of Alcoa the world’s leading producer of primary and fabricated aluminium - serves the transportation market with high strength, durable and recyclable forged aluminium wheels. Light weight Alcoa wheels provide solutions to reduce emissions and improve the sustainability footprint of the road transport sector.
www.alcoa.com
www.alcoa.com/alcoawheels/europe
KiteGen® technology is the latest evolution of wind energy exploitation. It is a paradigm shift that may be the most practical and effective solution to the world’s energy needs. The KiteGen technology is based on a decade of research and development; it has presently reached the stage at which it can be implemented on a industrial scale. KiteGen has grown from the core business of its original company: Sequoia Automation , which has operated in the fields of hardware and software development for robotics and industrial automation for the past twenty-six years. The main innovation is given by the fact that KiteGen can exploit a novel, powerful, endless and almost universally available source of energy: the high altitude wind power. Large wings tethered by strong polymeric ropes, driven by a high-tech control system based on avionic sensors, fly at high altitude, harvesting the energy of powerful winds, much faster and constant than those available near ground.
Yara International, a Norwegian multinational chemicals company, has manufactured air pollution mitigation technology and solutions to reduce the emission of nitrogen oxides (NOx) for over 20 years. Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) and Selective Non Catalytic Reduction (SNCR) technology, using ammonia or urea based reagents, are very cost effective technologies that reduce NOx emissions, which significantly improve air quality.
www.yara.com
IDAD - Institute of Environment and Development is a scientific and technical non-profit association and SME established in Aveiro, Portugal, that provides consultancy services in the areas of environment and sustainable development. With 20 years of expertise, IDAD activities are focused on air pollution, the development of environmental impact assessment and sustainability studies.
http://www.ua.pt/idad/
Aeris Europe Limited focusses on enhancing the utility of the vast amount of air quality data accumulated over the past twenty years in Europe and is delighted to announce the launch of AQUIRES, enabling fast user friendly assessment of urban air quality across European cities.
RUFTEC is the only company in Europe who has effective solutions against PM-Emissions. RUFTEC provides
1) for traffic: filter for busses/trams/cars, systems for subway/bus stations and public places, sound protection wall´s with PM-Filter,
2) for household/commerce/industry: different filter systems,
RUFTEC is a member in FP7-project´s and in the DIN-Norm-commission
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science. Our mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. We serve customers within pharmaceutical/ biotech companies, hospitals, clinical diagnostic labs, universities, research institutions and government agencies, as well as in environmental and process control industries.
Website: www.thermofisher.com
CEMA is an organisation representing the European Agricultural Machinery industry. It represents the interests of this sector on a European level by co-ordinating the views of the national associations and their members. It also provides know-how of the sector to the European institutions and other organisations.
Website:
www.cema-agri.org
Sustainable Business Hub is a leading network in southern Sweden helping cleantech companies to increase their competitiveness and establish itself in the export market. The network consists of more than one hundred members. Operation works in a company form and owned by its members. SBHub is a Non Profit organisation
http://www.sbhub.se
Copa-Cogeca is the united voice of farmers and agri-cooperatives in the EU. Together, they ensure that EU agriculture is sustainable, innovative and competitive, guaranteeing food security to half a billion people throughout Europe. Copa represents over 11 million farmers and their families whilst Cogeca represents the interests of 38,000 agricultural cooperatives.
AECC is an international non-profit scientific association of European companies engaged in the development and manufacturing of catalyst and filter based technologies for vehicle and engine emissions control. These technologies are incorporated on all new cars, commercial vehicles and buses, and an increasing number of NRMM and motorcycles in Europe.
More information on AECC can be found at www.aecc.eu.
Fertilizers feed half the global population. Fertilizers Europe represents the majority of fertilizer producers in Europe and is recognized as the dedicated industry source of information on mineral fertilizers. The association communicates with a wide variety of institutions, stakeholders and members of the public who seek information on fertilizer and topics relating to today’s agricultural, environment and economic challenges.
Fiat Industrial is a global leader in the capital goods sector. The Group designs, manufactures and sells through its brands - New Holland Agriculture, New Holland Construction, Case IH Agriculture, Case Construction, Steyr, Iveco, Fiat Powertrain Technologies Industrial – leading edge vehicles, machinery and systems for agriculture, construction, road transport logistics and public passenger transit, as well as production and sale of powertrains for On-Road, Off-Road, Marine and Power Generation applications.
Desso focusses primarily on superior floor design and Cradle to Cradle® in providing high quality carpet tiles and broadloom. Today, most people spend 90% of their time indoors. We believe it is our responsibility to develop products that contribute to a healthier indoor living and working space.
www.desso.com
The Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking is a unique public private partnership supporting research, technological development and demonstration activities in fuel cell and hydrogen energy technologies in Europe. Its aim is to accelerate the market introduction of these technologies, realizing their potential as an instrument in achieving a carbon-lean energy system.
For many years now, Daimler has been investing continually in the development of alternative drive systems with the goal of making emission-free driving possible in the long term.
In addition to vehicles with hybrid drive, the company has the broadest range of locally emission-free electric vehicles powered by batteries and fuel cells.
Daimler started investigating the fuel cell technology as early as in the 1980ies. Over the course of three decades, size and weight of the fuel cell system have been considerably reduced,
while performance and range have been steadily increased at the same time. Owning numerous patents, the company is the world’s technological leader regarding the use of fuel cells in cars,
and proved the technology’s high level of maturity with the Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL.In January 2013, Daimler AG, Ford Motor Company and Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.,
have signed a unique three-way agreement to accelerate the commercialization of fuel cell electric vehicle technology. The first vehicles out of this cooperation will come to the market in 2017.
NGVA Europe, the Natural & bio Gas Vehicle Association, is the only European stakeholder for natural gas and renewable methane (biomethane or synthetic gas/power to gas)
used as motor fuels in transport, covering all type of vehicles and transport modes (light, medium and heavy duty road transport, maritime and inland shipping, rail and air traffic).
We have been founded in 2008 and operate offices in Madrid and Brussels. NGVA Europe currently represents more than 150 members from 40 different countries from all over
Europe and abroad. Our mission is to represent the interests and act on behalf the European NGV related industry such as manufacturers of NG vehicles, filling stations and components,
biomethane producers, gas distributors and in particular the final customer who is using his NGV with satisfaction in terms of fuel economy and environmental respect.
The University of Wuppertal is presenting its Research Network “The Reacting Atmosphere – Understanding and Management for Future Generations” and results from research projects using photocatalysis for improving air quality in Europe.
http://www.the-reacting-atmosphere.org
SUN is the main beneficiary of SUNEAGLE, a multi-years project to test the governance tools to the definition of local actions related to the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol, through participatory methods designed to combine global emission reduction targets with local targets for sustainability, favouring territorial vocations in the southern Italian Apennines.
http://www.suneagle.eu
Active Sustainable is a Brussels based NGO created to promote sustainable development and to keep track of the commitments made by EU member-states and their partners. We encourage information, knowledge and experience sharing through the networking of public authorities, communities, NGOs, companies and institutions involved in social and environmental responsibility.
www.activesustainable.eu
Frontline Research for Improved Air quality and Climate Action: Aerosol Particles, Processing, Measures.
The Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) is one of the leading institutes in Europe for aerosol and cloud research in terms of their effect on air quality and climate.
TROPOS investigates the physical and chemical processes of tropospheric aerosols and clouds from molecular and micro-scales to particle transport in differently polluted areas worldwide.
Life+ Project – OPERA - Operational Procedure for Emission Reduction Assessment is an integrated assessment methodology to plan regional and local cost-effective air quality policies harmonized with national and European actions.
Clean Air is a LIFE+ project by nine European environmental organisations that fight for clean air in European cities. We deliver best practice models to increase air quality especially through changes in the transport sector.
Air pollution threatens health, environment and climate. It’s time to take action!
Free news service to keep you up-to-date with the latest policy-relevant environmental research. Published by Directorate-General Environment, European Commission, Science for Environment Policy’s News Alert delivers easy-to-understand summaries of key studies direct to your inbox. Its ‘In-depth Reports’, ‘Thematic Issues’ and ‘Future Briefs’ provide valuable overviews of important policy topics.
http://ec.europa.eu/science-environment-policy
The Parliament Magazine's stable of EU titles offers unique and authoritative editorial content. Driven by comment and analysis from MEPs, commission representatives and an in house team of experienced journalists, the magazines, special supplements and TheParliament.com website are essential reading for anyone looking for exclusive insights into the EU and its decision making processes.
The European Landowners Org. (ELO) is an umbrella organisation that represents the interests of landowners, rural managers and entrepreneurs across the EU27 and promotes food and environmental security through a sustainable development and management of rural activities (www.elo.org).
The ELO collaborates closely with the FCS (www.friendsofthecountryside.net) and the YFCS (www.yfcs.eu).
ENEP represents 22 national associations in 11 countries bringing together over 40,000 professionals who provide advice and expertise in the field of European environmental protection.
www.efaep.org
EFCA works at the interface between science and (European) policy to promote measures that protect the environment and human health against the effects of pollution.
www.efca.net
COFACE, Gezinsbond and WECF are NGOs, carrying out awareness raising activities at national and European level on a variety of topics among which air quality, while lobbying the EU to review air quality standards and policy objectives to cater for the most vulnerable groups, especially children.
www.coface-eu.org
www.gezinsbond.be
http://www.wecf.eu
ÉCLAIRE investigates the ways in which climate change alters the threat of air pollution on European land ecosystems including soils. Based on field observations, experimental data and models, it establishes new flux, concentration and dose-response relationships, as a basis to inform future European policies.
Atopica is an FP7 funded project implementing an innovative and multidisciplinary approach to explore the combined pan-European impact of changes in climate, land use and air pollution on allergen pollen-induced diseases through a chain of quantitative physical and statistical models. The consortium will examine the effects of climate and air quality directly on pollen allergenicity using experimental animals.
www.atopica.eu
CITI-SENSE, allows citizens to communicate about environmental quality of their surroundings, important to their health and well-being - outdoor air, school indoor environment, and public spaces. Citizens get feedback, and their observations are used for research and in global observing systems. This raises common understanding of the environment.
www.citi-sense.eu
MACC-II delivers the pre-operational Copernicus services for Atmosphere. MACC-II combines state-of-the-art atmospheric modelling with Earth observation data to provide information services covering European air quality, global atmospheric composition, climate forcings, the ozone layer and solar radiation, as well as emissions and surface fluxes.
www.copernicus-atmosphere.eu
End Ecocide in Europe is a European Citizens’ Initiative with one intriguingly simple aim: Environmental destruction must become a crime. A crime for which those responsible can be held accountable. When 1 million EU citizens from at least 7 countries support the initiative, it will be considered at EU level.
www.endecocide.eu
GasNaturally is an initiative that brings together 7 associations and 100+ companies representing the entire gas chain and aiming to showcase the importance of natural gas in the forthcoming transformation of the EU energy system. The members of GasNaturally include: International Oil and Gas Producers (OGP), Eurogas, Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE), International Gas Union (IGU), GERG, MARCOGAZ and GIIGNL.
Find out more by visiting our website: www.gasnaturally.eu
ICLEI is an international association of local governments as well as national and regional local government organizations who have made a commitment to sustainable development. ICLEI provides technical consulting, training, and information services to build capacity, share knowledge, and support local governments in the implementation of sustainable development.
www.iclei-europe.org
ECOWEB is an innovative platform that brings research to realisation. It brings together research results from over a thousand EU-funded projects from all sectors of Eco-Innovation, and presents them all in an easy accessible platform, offering an access to innovation than ever before.Visit www.ECOWEB.info and find eco-innovation ideas! For info: Peasso@apre.it
IQAir is a globally active clean air technology expert with a focus on practical methods to improve the air people breathe indoors. The Swiss-based IQAir Group develops, manufactures and markets innovative indoor air quality products and solutions for a wide range of residential and commercial applications, including homes, offices, schools, hospitals and other critical environments in over 70 countries worldwide. With its roots dating back to 1963, IQAir is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2013.
More about IQAir: www.iqair.com/newsroom
The members of the Association for Emissions Control by Catalyst (AECC), the international association of European companies making technologies for exhaust emissions control from mobile sources, will display after-treatment systems for reducing emissions from passenger cars, trucks and buses, non-road mobile machinery and motorcycles during the whole Green Week. The 200 m² exhibition will give visitors the opportunity to study real-scale emissions control technologies.
Updates of photos and videos are available in the press corner.
Live video streams are available for most of the sessions on the programme.
To access the streams, choose a date in the navigation menu or click on a date on the left.
viEUws.eu – the EU policy broadcaster. Independent online media with video interviews, briefings and in-depth stories on the latest European Union policy developments.
ENDS Europe is a highly respected and accessible European environmental news and analysis service. Based in London and Brussels, the heart of EU policymaking, our expert team draws on 13 years' experience to provide daily digital updates on EU environmental policy and legislation to high calibre professionals in industry, government, academia and other non-governmental organisations. Through direct, daily engagement with European decision makers, we generate high value editorial on a range of topics including climate change, energy, waste and chemicals.
The Parliament Magazine's stable of EU titles offers unique and authoritative editorial content. Driven by comment and analysis from MEPs, commission representatives and an in house team of experienced journalists, the magazines, special supplements and TheParliament.com website are essential reading for anyone looking for exclusive insights into the EU and its decision making processes.
Debating Europe is a successful innovative online debate platform that engages citizens and policymakers across Europe in an on-going conversation on vital issues shaping our future. Join the debate!
Since its launch 8 years ago, Europe's World has established itself as the premier ideas platform for new thinking on political, economic and social issues. To date, over 1,000 of today's most respected thinkers and influential leaders have contributed articles firmly strengthening Europe's World's reputation as the leading forum for ground-breaking ideas, and proving beyond doubt that great minds don't think alike. Our 100,000 readers, drawn from politics, business, the media, academia, think tanks and NGOs, are a powerful and influential audience, who value Europe's World for its thought provoking articles, Europe-wide outlook and lack of national or political bias.
Established in 1995 by The Economist Group, European Voice is the market-leader for news and comment about the European Union and the implications of EU policy on its member states. At European Voice, we aim to understand and explain the complexities of the EU, to be a forum for debate, and to cross all policy areas, including environment and climate change as we bring readers informed and insightful news and opinions. To find our more go to www.europeanvoice.com
For information about what's on and what to do in Brussels during Green Week, please visit the website. There will also be a Visit Brussels desk at The Egg during Green Week with brochures and maps, where you can also ask questions and get more information.
About IQAir:
IQAir is a globally active clean air technology expert with a focus on practical methods to improve the air people breathe indoors. The Swiss-based IQAir Group develops, manufactures and markets innovative indoor air quality products and solutions for a wide range of residential and commercial applications, including homes, offices, schools, hospitals and other critical environments in over 70 countries worldwide. With its roots dating back to 1963, IQAir is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2013.
More about IQAir: www.iqair.com/newsroom
Emissions Control Technologies for Cleaner Air exhibition
The members of the Association for Emissions Control by Catalyst (AECC), the international association of European companies making technologies for exhaust emissions control from mobile sources, will display after-treatment systems for reducing emissions from passenger cars, trucks and buses, non-road mobile machinery and motorcycles during the whole Green Week. The 200 m² exhibition will give visitors the opportunity to study real-scale emissions control technologies.
European Mobility Week
By adopting the slogan ”Clean air – it’s your move!”, this year’s European Mobility Week edition will put the emphasis on the impact that transport and our daily choices have on the quality of the air we breathe and our health. If you want to learn more about the campaign, you are invited to visit the European Mobility Week stand at the Green Week Conference, where you can find information about planned activities, inspirational publications and promotional items.
Green Week 2013 satellite event | Languages | ||||||||||||
es | cs | de | et | en | fr | it | nl | pl | pt | ro | sk | sv | |
Promotional materials | |||||||||||||
Logo | jpg | ||||||||||||
Stamp | jpg | ||||||||||||
Pupitre A3 landscape (EDITABLE) | doc | doc | doc | doc | doc | doc | doc | doc | doc | doc | doc | doc | doc |
Poster A3 portrait (EDITABLE) | doc | doc | doc | doc | doc | doc | doc | doc | doc | doc | doc | doc | doc |
Poster A1 portrait | |||||||||||||
Poster A2 portrait | |||||||||||||
Presentation template | ppt | ||||||||||||
Publications | |||||||||||||
Blossom Lane | es | cs | de | et | en | fr | it | nl | pl | pt | ro | sk | sv |
Fact sheet 'Cleaner air for all' | en | fr |
Member of the Committee of the Regions and rapporteur on "The role of local & regional authorities in future environment policy"
Head of Air Quality Management Section, Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), Switzerland
Professor of Environmental Physics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Brescia
Chief Scientist and World Health Organisation Representative to the European Union
Industrial Emissions, Air Quality & Noise Unit, Directorate-General for Environment, European Commission
General Director in charge of Environment & Soil Protection, Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy
Director, Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Principal Adviser to the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme and Head of the Office for Policy and Inter-Agency Affairs (OPIA)
Chair of the Committee of the Regions' ENVI Committee & President of the Region of Sardenia
Institute of Ecology & Environmental Protection, Nicholas Copernicus University, Torun, Poland
Director of the Open Air Laboratories citizen science programme, Imperial College London
Senior Policy Officer, Air, Industrial Emissions & Noise, European Environmental Bureau
Director-General for Environmental Quality, Ministry for Territory and Sustainability, Catalunya
Competence Centre: Smart & Sustainable Growth, Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, European Commission
Research Scientist, Department of Atmospheric Science, University of Wyoming, United States
Head of Department, Ministry for Environment, Energy, Agriculture & Consumer Protection of Hessen
Director, Nantes Métropole - European Green Capital 2013, signatory of the Covenant of Mayors
Head of Unit, Agriculture, Forests & Soil, Directorate General for Environment, European Commission
Head of Unit International Relations & Enlargement, Directorate-General for Environment, European Commission
Human Ecologist and Senior Research Associate, Stockholm Environment Institute, University of York
Director of the Industrial Ecology Programme at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and Member of the International Resource Panel
Chief, Sustainable Consumption and Production, Division of Technology, Industry and Economics, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Dean of Environmental Science and Engineering, Research Institute of Tsinghua University, Beijing
Senior Consultant for Air Quality, City Development Authority, Prague, Czech Republic
Head of Division, Environment Department, City of Copenhagen - European Green Capital 2014, signatory of the Covenant of Mayors
European Topic Centre on Air Pollution & Climate Change Mitigation, Czech Hydrometeorological Institute
Mayor of Schiedam (NL), Member of the Committee of the Regions and rapporteur on the review of EU air quality & emissions policy
Head of Unit, Competence Centre: Smart & Sustainable Growth, Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, European Commission
Research Fellow, Office of Atmospheric Enironment Simultation and Assessment, Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning, Ministry of Environmental Protection
Task Force on the European Year of the Citizen, Directorate General for Communication
Laboratoire Central de Surveillance de la Qualité de l'Air (LCSQA), Département Chimie & Environnement - Mines de Douai, France
Industrial Emissions, Air Quality & Noise Unit, Directorate-General for Environment, European Commission
Industrial Emissions, Air Quality & Noise Unit, Directorate-General for Environment, European Commission
Director General, Scientific Research Institute for Atmospheric Air Protection (SRI Atmosphere)