Debate on air pollution levels in European cities, in a conference at the UB

The conference takes place from 9 a.m. to 1.30 p.m., in the Aula Magna of the UB Historic Building.
The conference takes place from 9 a.m. to 1.30 p.m., in the Aula Magna of the UB Historic Building.
(21/05/2013)

The University of Barcelona, Alumni UB and the winery Torres, together with Barcelona City Council and Transport for London, organise today, Tuesday 21st May, the conference “Fins on cal arribar per reduir la contaminació atmosfèrica?”. The Aula Magna of the UB Historic Building gathers experts on air quality and health and representatives of public administrations and European organizations who discuss pollution levels in big cities, such as Barcelona, London or Copenhagen, and the actions that can be carried out to reduce them. Organizers state that crisis has caused “a reduction of road traffic and indirectly an ʻunrealʼ decrease in pollution levels”.

The conference takes place from 9 a.m. to 1.30 p.m., in the Aula Magna of the UB Historic Building.
The conference takes place from 9 a.m. to 1.30 p.m., in the Aula Magna of the UB Historic Building.
21/05/2013

The University of Barcelona, Alumni UB and the winery Torres, together with Barcelona City Council and Transport for London, organise today, Tuesday 21st May, the conference “Fins on cal arribar per reduir la contaminació atmosfèrica?”. The Aula Magna of the UB Historic Building gathers experts on air quality and health and representatives of public administrations and European organizations who discuss pollution levels in big cities, such as Barcelona, London or Copenhagen, and the actions that can be carried out to reduce them. Organizers state that crisis has caused “a reduction of road traffic and indirectly an ʻunrealʼ decrease in pollution levels”.

 
Tomàs Molina, Chief Meterologist of Televisió de Catalunya and professor at the Faculty of Physics of the UB, opens the conference. The opening session is attended by the Director of Alumni UB, Jordi Garcia; the President of Torres, Miguel A. Torres; the Secretary for Environment and Sustainability of the Government of Catalonia, Josep Enric Llebot, and the Councillor for Environment and Urban Services of Barcelona City Council, Joan Puigdollers.

Throughout the conference, several environmental actions carried out in some European metropolitan areas to reduce pollution will be presented. The Director of Environmental Intervention of Barcelona City Council, Enric Auli, explains the actions carried out in Barcelona in his lecture “El perquè del programa de qualitat de lʼaire de Barcelona”. Then, Oliver Lord, Policy Advisor of Transport for London, describes the case of London in his presentation “Improving air quality in London, reducing transport emissions”. Finally, the meteorologist and expert on climate Jesper Theilgaard details Copenhagenʼs experience in his speech “The connection between weather and pollution in Denmark”.

Moreover, the conference deals with the interrelation between pollution and health in a lecture given by Josep M. Ramon Torrell, Head of Preventive Medicine at Bellvitge University Hospital and professor at the Department of Clinical Sciences of the UB. A debate to reflect on the actions which may reduce pollution, such as an increase in parking prices, vehicle access barriers or speed limit, closes the conference.

The conference, which also includes an electric cars exhibition, can be followed on Twitter, by the hahstag #limitscontaminacio.

The programme is available on this link.