Monday, November 4, 2002		Feature

Software to reduce air pollution

WORKING out a plan of action to reduce air pollution from Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) from automobiles, power stations and buildings could soon be a mouse click away. A computer software that enables planners and policy-makers to select control strategies that achieve emission reductions of both air pollutants and GHGs has been developed in the USA.

The International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), together with the State and Territorial Air Pollution Programme Administrators (STAPPA) and the Association of Local Air Pollution Control Officers (ALAPCO), and associations representing state and local air quality officials in 54 states and territories and over 220 major metropolitan areas in the USA, have developed the software for integrating the quantification of air pollution and GHGs emissions.

"The software has been designed as a tool to help provincial, state and local governments reduce emissions that cause air pollution and global warming," says Jim Yienger of the ICLEI, a worldwide membership organisation of local governments and their associations working to achieve tangible improvements in global environmental and sustainable development conditions.

Customised forms of the software, which helps to quantify GHG emissions reduction efforts, are currently in use by over 250 governments in 10 countries worldwide, Amy Royden of the Stappa said during a demonstration of the software at the ongoing COP8 here.