This course is designed for..
..anyone involved in air quality management, which, in practice, means a wide range of people. That includes government officials, urban planners, health professionals, environmental officers, community leaders, journalists, advocates, students, and citizens. This range is deliberate. Air quality management does not sit with one group alone. It requires people across different roles to understand enough of the same language and process to work together.
The course is not designed to cover everything in a single sitting. Content and delivery are tailored to the background and technical level of each audience, so participants engage from the level that is most relevant to them.
What is the air quality (management) problem?
Most people know that air pollution is a problem, clean air is our birth right, and blue skies mean better health for everybody.
Knowledge (data/information) was never the issue.
Knowing there is a problem and knowing what to do about it are two very different things.
Air quality management comes with its own language: pollutant concentrations, emission inventories, ambient standards, dispersion modelling, exposure assessments, scenario analysis, etc. For those who use these terms daily, it is second nature. For everyone else, it can feel like a wall (or a word vomit). When the language is unclear, people disengage, make assumptions, or wait for someone else to act.
The problem runs deeper than jargon. Air quality data moves through a chain, from monitoring stations to modeling to reports to policy dialogue, and each step involves different people with different levels of understanding. When someone in that chain does not grasp what came before them, or who will use the information next, messages get lost, remain incomplete or misread.
As a result, we have a lot of people in the room, but not on the same page. Scientists, planners, health officials, advocates, and community groups all have a role to play. But without a shared understanding of the basics — what the data means, where it comes from, how it leads to action, their efforts do not add up as they should.
Why this course?
- When people do not understand the jargon, they cannot ask the right questions.
- When they do not understand how information flows through an air quality management system, they cannot spot where things go wrong.
- and when stakeholders are not aligned on the basics, even good plans stall.
This course is conceptualized because the “gap in operational understanding of information” is real.
The course is not about turning everyone into a technical expert. It is about giving the audiences enough of a shared foundation that they can work together.
Getting the facts right is only part of the job. Those facts also need to be communicated in a way that people can connect with.
The goal is simple: when people understand the information and can talk about it clearly, they make better decisions. And when better decisions get made on air quality, the outcomes improve for everyone.
What we expect participants to take away..
We want the participants
- to feel comfortable with the air quality management jargon and know what they mean in practice
- to understand how air quality data is collected and how it is supposed to inform decisions
- to know how data is interpreted and plans are communicated
- to have a clearer picture of where misunderstandings tend to happen, and
- to feel confident addressing those gaps.
What skills will this course build?
The course is organized around a set of practical questions (for various stakeholders). Whether you are reading a report, presenting findings, or building a case for action, knowing the right questions to ask is a skill in itself; and knowing what to look for when using data and information, including gaps or weaknesses.
- Start with basics — what is the jargon used in air quality management; what is the basic information one need to be aware of when talking about air quality; how is air quality information put together
- Where is the information available to support analytical and communications work
- What are the basic rules of thumb in air quality monitoring; what gets measured, how, and why; what the numbers mean; how different stakeholders use this information; and how to design a good network
- How is an emissions inventory put together; how surveys are conducted to gather necessary information; what the minimum requirements are for building a usable inventory
- How do emissions at sources turn into pollution we breath; what tools and methods are used to understand this conversion
- How do emissions, pollution levels, and health impacts connect — the most important chains in air quality management and flow of information; how to establish this connection
- How do you use information to build scenarios; what happens when/if inputs change
- How do you communicate air quality information; how information from each part of air quality management can be communicated in clear and honest ways for different groups
How is the course delivered?
We use a combination of quizzes, games, and hands-on exercises for in-person events.
- Take a basics quiz [link] – 10 questions on air quality jargon (and repeat if you like)
- Play the Jeopardy game [link] on fundamentals of air quality (high school level)
A library of tools is available here for open use. A combination of these tools is used during interactive sessions on how to estimate emissions; how to use monitoring data; how meteorology connects emissions to pollution; what we need for estimating impacts; how scenario playing works, etc.
Some notes from past events.
We maintain a library of PPT’s, primers, and publications for reference. These are available for open use.