It is now ten years since the air quality daughter directives were introduced and six years since the launch of the EU Thematic Strategy on air pollution. However, many air pollution challenges remain across Europe.

Across Europe pollution concentrations are not falling as fast as expected and member states are therefore experiencing difficulties with attainment of Limit and Target Values for NO2, O3 and PM10. It is clear that large gaps remain in our understanding of emissions sources and their linkage to ambient concentrations. Meanwhile evidence of the health burden of air pollution continues to grow and increased emphasis on the reduction of green house gas emissions provides opportunities for co-benefits between climate change mitigation measures and air pollution abatement.

This Decembers Royal Society of Chemistry conference will address some of the scientific questions as we prepare for the review of the Ambient Air Quality Directive in 2013. The conference will be introduced by internationally recognised experts to set the scene at the national and European level. It will bring together leading scientists and policy makers, and will provide a broad and up-to-date survey of the measurement, regulatory and scientific issues, including policy implications, health effects and future perspectives. The conference will also provide an update on the European funded AirMonTech project to harmonize current air pollution monitoring techniques and to advise on future monitoring technologies and strategy.

Papers are especially invited on the following themes to be presented orally or as posters:

• Nitrogen dioxide: compliance, ambient trends, current and future control measures.
• Particulate carbon: measurement, ambient concentrations, sources and behaviour of elemental and organic carbon.
• Air pollution and climate change: short term climate effects from air pollution, biomass burning, air pollution and CO2 emissions from transport
• New evidence of the health burden of air pollution.

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Item date 14/07/2011