City Solutions Toolkit: Air quality modelling for policy development

In this module, the focus is on the use of the results of air quality models for formulating policies that are contextual, sciencebased, and grounded on data and research. The value of models in policy development is for decision makers to understand a quantitative link between pollutant emissions at one or many locations, and the resulting concentrations or doses of pollutants experienced by the community. This is very significant especially in identifying pollutant concentrations in receptors or specific areas which may be densely-populated or inhabited by vulnerable populations. Given that air quality monitoring at all possible sites would be very costly, air quality modeling can provide complementary information in a more cost effective and practical manner. It can also make more sense of data collected through emissions inventories (EIs) and make more elaborate health impacts assessments. Overall, modeling offers a complementary approach to and for other AQM components that can lead to more sound policymaking to improve air quality.