Work Area Air Quality

BASIC INFORMATION ON THE WORKING GROUP (WA) AIR QUALITY

The WA Air Quality of the OeAW Commission on Climate and Air Quality (KKL) comprises experts from different disciplines. Since its foundation, the WA has been continuously built up and expanded with selected highly qualified members.

Air is the basis of life. Poor air quality leads to health impairments, lower life expectancy and economic damage. Climate change poses an additional challenge, as measures to improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gases on the one hand reinforce each other, and on the other hand contradict each other. For example, the effects of environmental policy measures on transport emissions, on emissions from energy and heat generation or from agriculture must be considered. At the same time, global warming is also expected to change the chemical and physical processes in the atmosphere.
People spend a large part of their lives indoors. Therefore, the WA is also interested in presenting the quality of indoor air and measures to improve it. Another field of work is the development of evaluation criteria for environmental odour, which, along with noise, is the most frequent cause of complaints and annoyance for the residential population.

A permanent task of the Working Group on Air Quality is the holding of the Federal States Working Group under the patronage of the KKL. These meetings serve as a forum for the representatives of the federal provinces responsible for immission control, the Federal Environment Agency and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management to exchange technical information. Furthermore, a member of the WA is chairperson of the ZAMG advisory board for the coordination of scientific activities at the Sonnblick Observatory. With regard to scientific teaching, the AB supports the Vienna Summer School on Basic Aerosol Science.

MEMBERS OF THE WA AIR QUALITY

Subtheme Indoor Air Quality