The transport sector is a major contributor to environmental degradation, including air and noise pollution and damage to ecosystems and human health. A new research project, Net4Cities, will monitor and generate data to make it easier to assess related health impacts.
To monitor air and noise pollution and generate data that will aid in assessing their health impacts related to it, the new “Net4Cities” research project will develop research infrastructure in eleven European cities in ten countries. This research and infrastructure will support efforts to implement the Zero Pollution Action Plan as part of the European Green Deal. The project is coordinated by the German Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) in Potsdam.
Harmful traffic noise levels
Although air pollution from transport has generally decreased in the last decades due to improved fuels and vehicle emission standards, it still represents a significant source of air quality degradation in cities. Indeed, the transport sector is the only sector in which ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions have continued to increase over the last three decades. Environmental noise, and in particular road traffic noise, is a major environmental problem in Europe, where at least 20 % of the population lives in areas where traffic noise levels are harmful to health.
The adverse impacts associated with the transport sector are especially high in densely populated urban areas. To address this, the Net4Cities project will develop real-time maps that visualise and integrate air and noise pollution data from more than 30 monitoring stations across eleven European cities (Antwerp, Barcelona, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Heraklion, Limassol, Oslo, Rotterdam, Southampton, Tbilisi and Zurich).
Kart over partnerbyene i Net4Cities
Will provide both citizens and politicians with relevant information
Many of the pollutants that Net4Cities measures, such as ultrafine particulate matter, ammonia and ozone precursors, are not adequately monitored at present and are therefore a focus of this project. Net4Cities will also incorporate the results of previous and ongoing European and international analyses. The project aims to support evidence-based policy development by generating relevant data that can also be used to improve emissions inventories.
Led by Erika von Schneidemesser, a team of RIFS researchers will provide citizens with a tool that can be used to raise awareness and support decision-making to reduce pollution exposure. Decision-makers and stakeholders will be involved in Net4Cities from the outset, and co-creative and policy support processes will be used across the project to foster maximum buy-in from the target audiences.
