TwitterTackling toxic emissions on policy agenda at TRUE Global Workshop
The Real Urban Emissions Initiative (TRUE) hosted a Global Workshop at Bloomberg and London’s City Hall, welcoming delegates from across the world to join environmental and technical leaders to discuss how to tackle toxic emissions in cities.
Key speakers from the city administrations of Paris and London as well as the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) and C40 Cities discussed policies needed to effectively regulate vehicle emissions. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, also shared a video in which he commends TRUE’s work and the impact its real world data can have in supporting policymaking of cities across the world.
More than 50 delegates, representing cities from as far and wide as Oslo, Dar Es Salaam and Auckland, as well as technical and research specialists, joined together to discuss the scale and causes of vehicle-related air quality. They were able to share perspectives and examples of the challenges and policies being used across the world to reduce vehicle emissions in diverse cities.
The first day was hosted at the Bloomberg offices, where Kelly Shultz from Bloomberg Philanthropies welcomed delegates and emphasised the importance of healthy cities, saying: “At Bloomberg Philanthropies we really believe in the power of data and the power of cities. This initiative is so exciting for us because it brings the best of these two things together.”
The rest of the day featured talks from TRUE partners the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), Global NCAP, and the FIA Foundation. Panel sessions on ‘The problem of real-world urban vehicle emissions’ covered the development of urban pollution and its key causes. Speakers included: David Carslaw, University of York; Jens Borken, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis; Zlatko Kregar, DG Environment; along with Rachel Muncrief and Drew Kodjak, ICCT. Case studies from London and Paris were presented by Elliot Treharne, Greater London Authority and Hervé Levifve, Office of the Mayor of Paris, examining the policies and impact of city governments on their current and projected air quality.
The second day of the Workshop took place at City Hall where Shirley Rodrigues, Deputy Mayor of London, responsible for Environment and Energy, addressed delegates and outlined how air quality was a priority for the administration. She also endorsed the contribution which TRUE will be making in London saying “FIA Foundation's TRUE initiative is going to be really helpful in helping us understand what policy interventions are needed and how to design policies for London and cities across the world."
Panel sessions focussed on city experiences of emissions measurement, programs to curb real world emissions and policy solutions. Speakers included: Louise Duprez, City of Brussels; Mónica del Carmen and Jaimes Palomera, Mexico City, SEDEMA; Eunjung Choi, City of Seoul; Kate Blumberg, ICCT; Caroline Watson, C40 Cities; Greg Archer, Transport and Environment; Marcela Castillo, Mario Molina Center; Eunjung Choi, City of Seoul; and Uwe Tietge, of ICCT.
Sheila Watson, Director of Research and Deputy Director of the FIA Foundation, said: “This workshop has been a vital moment in charting the next steps for the TRUE initiative. As the culmination of the first year of TRUE’s work it was also a fantastic opportunity to bring technical and policy experts together to share knowledge and best practice to address the air quality threats facing almost every city across the globe. It also coincided with the launch of our TRUE rating, and was an invaluable opportunity to take soundings from a range of cities on how TRUE might support their efforts in cleaning up the air in their cities.”
Download 'The first TRUE city symposium' summary
Presentations
Day 1
Sheila Watson, FIA Foundation
David Carslaw, York
Jens Borken, IIASA
Zlatko Kregar, DG Environment
Rachel Muncrief, ICCT
Elliot Treharne, Greater London Authority
Hervé Levifve, Paris Mayor’s Office
Day 2
Louise Duprez, City of Brussels
Mónica del Carmen Jaimes Palomera, Mexico City, SEDEMA
Eunjung Choi, City of Seoul
Kate Blumberg, The ICCT
Shirley Rodrigues, Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, London
Caroline Watson, C40 Cities
Marcela Castillo, Mario Molina Center
Uwe Tietge, The ICCT
