title: How Can Urban Policies Improve Air Quality and Help Mitigate Global Climate Change: a Systematic Mapping Review.
abstract: Tackling climate change at the global level is central to a growing field of scientific research on topics such as environmental health, disease burden, and its resulting economic impacts. At the local level, cities constitute an important hub of atmospheric pollution due to the large amount of pollutants that they emit. As the world population shifts to urban centers, cities will increasingly concentrate more exposed populations. Yet, there is still significant progress to be made in understanding the contribution of urban pollutants other than CO2, such as vehicle emissions, to global climate change. It is therefore particularly important to study how local governments are managing urban air pollution. This paper presents an overview of local air pollution control policies and programs that aim to reduce air pollution levels in megacities. It also presents evidence measuring their efficacy. The paper argues that local air pollution policies are not only beneficial for cities but are also important for mitigating and adapting to global climate change. The results systematize several policy approaches used around the world and suggest the need for more in-depth cross-city studies with the potential to highlight best practices both locally and globally. Finally, it calls for the inclusion of a more human rights-based approach as a mean of guaranteeing of clean air for all and reducing factors that exacerbate climate change.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of São Paulo, Av. Dr. Arnaldo, 715, São Paulo, SP, CEP 01246-90, Brazil. adslovic@usp.br.
authors.forename: Anne Dorothée
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Slovic
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of São Paulo, Av. Dr. Arnaldo, 715, São Paulo, SP, CEP 01246-90, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Aparecida
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology and Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, 128 Aaron Burr Hall, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA.
authors.forename: João
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Biehl
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of São Paulo, Av. Dr. Arnaldo, 715, São Paulo, SP, CEP 01246-90, Brazil.
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002947:Cities; D057231:Climate Change; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D062305:Geographic Mapping; D006801:Humans; D057766:Policy; D014504:Urban Health
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants
keywords: Air pollution; Air quality control; Climate change; Megacities; Public policy; Urban health; Vehicle emissions