Addressing Air Quality Improvements and Climate Change through Education and Public Outreach: Experiences and Examples in the US

Abstract:

A National Research Council report1 suggests that education, information, and voluntary methods are important tools for reducing emissions and controlling air pollution and climate change. In addition to the regulatory and market-driven measures aimed at reducing pollution, these tools impact emissions reductions at from small, distributed sources (small companies and individuals) and changes in human behavior to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG).For over a decade, many city, state, and federal air quality agencies have educated and informed the public in order to change their attitudes and behaviors and ultimately to help reduce emissions and GHG. We will present some of the successful educational and public outreach tools as examples that have successfully been used in the U.S. and show how they are relevant to pollution issues in Asia. For each example, we will identify the tool, target audience, and expected and actual outcomes. Some examples of these tools include: Internet-information resources (AIRNow.gov, EnviroFlash.info), games (SmogCity - www.smogcity2.org, Save Planet Polluto www.planetpolluto.com), radio and television public service announcements.In addition to the presentation, we will bring samples of these outreach tools for attendees to take back to their organizations.