Focal Centre

UK National Focal Centre for Integrated Assessment Modelling

As the base for the UK National Focal Centre for Integrated Assessment Modelling, the IAU collaborates with related research both nationally and internationally.  An increasing number of countries are developing similar national focal centres, interacting with the work of the UN ECE and of IIASA.  An example of international collaboration is the PMCOST project as an EU funded knowledge transfer project with the University of Wroclaw in Poland. Such interaction is expected to expand with the UK/Swedish initiative to establish FICAP as a forum for international collaboration on air pollution worldwide.

At a national level there are close links with Ricardo and the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory, with the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) on atmospheric modelling and on protection of ecosystems and mapping of critical loads, plus agricultural aspects and the nitrogen cycle. There is also close collaboration and inter-comparison on atmospheric modelling, especially with EMEP, UKCEH , Ricardo , and CERC; and participation in APRIL (Air Pollution Research in London). As work is extended to synergies between air quality issues and greenhouse gas emissions, this collaboration extends to UCL on future energy scenarios and with others addressing climate change.

Following on from previous contracts on “Analysis of Abatement Strategies”, research is continuing for DEFRA in support for developing national air pollution control strategies, accounting also for policies towards decarbonisation and Net Zero. This research captures emissions projections combined with abatement strategies (including Net Zero), and in the context of changing transboundary contributions alternative strategies are modelled to derive pollutant concentrations and impacts on human health and economic benefits of reducing air pollution, providing the basis for developing targets for reducing population exposure and protecting sensitive habitats.