SMMI participates in the All Party Parliamentary Group on Air Pollution discussion on “Emissions from ships and shipping-related sources, and their potential effects on health”
On Tuesday 4th December, amongst ringing bells and government Brexit defeats, SMMI “Understanding Maritime Futures” Leverhulme Doctoral Scholars Natasha Easton and Florentin Bulot, along with Dr Matthew Loxham, Prof Gavin Forster and SMMI Director Prof Damon Teagle travelled to Portcullis House in Westminster to participate in a meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Air Pollution.
The meeting, hosted and chaired by Geraint Davies MP focused on emissions from ships and shipping-related sources, and their potential effects on health. Following short talks by representatives from Ove Arup Consulting and the European Federation for Transport and Environment, a lively Q&A/discussion session followed, which included key contributions from SMMI members that highlighted large knowledge gaps meaning the health effects of shipping emissions, especially for port city inhabitants, may have been underestimated. Specifically, although most estimates of these effects look at time-weighted mean contributions from ships, these do not take into account the short-lived but significant increases in contributions which may occur when ships are in port. Additionally, the chemical compositions of particulate matter emitted from ships suggest that these particles may potentially be more damaging to health than is estimated when simply looking at the mass of emitted particulates.
The issues of real-time pollution monitoring, and linking particulate source and composition to health effects are areas currently being investigated by SMMI members, in work which is playing a key part in driving the burgeoning air pollution research theme across the University of Southampton.
Following this meeting, the SMMI air pollution group has been asked to comment on a draft Clean Air Bill being developed by Geraint Davies MP.
Caption to photo above: SMMI Leverhulme Scholar Natasha Easton (PhD student, SOES), Dr Matt Loxham (Medicine), SMMI Leverhulme Scholar Florentin Bulot (PhD student, FEPS), Prof Gavin Foster (SOES) and Colin MacQueen from Clean Air Southampton return south of the river on a chilly night in Westminster following the “Emissions from ships and shipping-related sources, and their potential effects on health” meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Air Pollution.