VMM launches screening tool for local air quality

Drafting a local air policy plan

Air pollution is one of the biggest environmental health risks in Europe. It causes serious health problems for humans and has negative effects on our living environment and nature. Scattered through Flanders, threre are still many locations with high concentrations of air pollutants, mostly due to a local source of air pollution, such as traffic, industry, agriculture, households, …

To addresss this challenge, it is important that local governments take action. They play a key role in the development and implementation of mobility plans, environmental zones and initiatives to reduce wood burning. To support local governments, the VMM developed a roadmap or step-by-step plan to draft a local air policy plan. We start with a thorough bottleneck analysis, where the new screening tool comes in handy.

Screening of the local air quality

Understanding local air quality is the first step. With the new screeningtool cities and towns can easily identify bottlenecks and policy priorities for the pollutants particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, soot and ammonia. This helps determine targeted measures to improve air quality.

The screening tool aggregates and visualizes existing air quality data in an accessible way. This allows local governments to identify where the biggest air quality problems are, what sources contribute to pollution and what policy priorities they can set. With this information, municipalities and cities can make strategic and targeted choices to improve air quality locally.

Introduction of the screening tool

The VMM introduces the screeningtool and the roadmap during atraining session for interested local governments.