CIWEM's Air Panel is one of the six Technical Panels
that have been formed to ensure that the Institution is able to
fulfil all aspects of its Royal Charter. Panels are the technical
backbone of the Institution.
Panel Activities
The Panel is charged with a number of outputs including events,
consultation responses, policy statements, technical advice,
representation and publications. Several Panel members represent
CIWEM at forums and events. The Panel currently meets three times a
year at CIWEM's London office, and members are in frequent contact
via e-mail.
The Air panel have written
to Caroline Spelman MP, Secretary of State
for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with their concerns
over the UK breaching EU limit values for nitrogen dioxide in 2011.
This letter was then subject of an ENDS report article (433,
Feb 2011) which prompted Defra to announce that NOx reduction plans
would be published in the Spring. Members of the Air Panel
have since met with Defra to discuss the issues in the
letter.
The Air panel have written to the Minister for Business and
Regulatory Reform and the Department for Business, Innovation and
Skills with their concerns over the code of practice on
consultation. The Minister responded with his views on why
the same individuals should be responsible for all stages of
policy development. Dissatisified with the response the panel
pursued the Shadow Ministers and received a positive response from John Thurso MP. The
panel will now resume the matter with the relevant ministers in the
coalition government.
Policy Position Statements
The panel are currently producing Policy Position Statements
on PM2.5 and renewable heat.
The Air panel organised the successful "NO2: Are we underestimating
the problem?" seminar in 2009 and are looking forward to
planning their next event for 2011/12.
More resources are available to download from the
page documents side tab.
Membership
The Air Panel has an active and knowledgeable membership with a
wide range of expertise but we are still looking for some new panel
members. If you are interested in this or any other panel and would
be happy to devote some time to the work of the Institution in a
voluntary capacity, please forward your CV to Alastair Chisholm, Policy
Manager.
The scope of the Air panel includes:
- Air pollution sources e.g. traffic, industry, energy
- Climate change
- Health and environment
- Impacts, management and policy
- Local Authority Air Quality Management
- Modelling systems / tools for assessment
- Monitoring
- Odour
- Public attitudes to / perception of air pollution
- Underlying science and processes e.g. dispersion, meteorology,
atmospheric chemistry and physics
