A New Air Emissions Inventory for the Greater Metropolitan Region in NSW
The Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW) (DEC), Pacific Air & Environment (PAE), Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPAV) and Optimised Operations (O2) have jointly developed a comprehensive air emissions inventory for greater Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, known as the Greater Metropolitan Region (GMR).
The inventory is one of the key sources of information the DEC uses to develop programs that aim to maintain and improve air quality and will be used to underpin a broad range of DEC activities that typically include: policy development; regulation development; technical analysis; economic assessment; air quality modelling; use of innovative tools and economic instruments and environmental reporting. This analysis will feed into the DEC's review of the Government's 25 year "Action for Air" plan.
Emissions from all major sources of air pollutants have been estimated, including: biogenic (i.e. natural); commercial; domestic; industrial; off-road mobile; and on-road mobile.
Emissions have been estimated for a comprensive suite of substances, including: criteria pollutants; organic air toxics; metal air toxics; and dioxins and furans.
The emissions data is contained within a sophisticated software package which includes several features as follows:
§ environmental reporting by region and local government area (LGA);
§ emissions forecasting up to the year 2031;
§ source and pollutant prioritisation using toxicity and photochemical smog forming potential;
§ emissions modelling to test policy scenarios;
§ air pollution modelling and forecasting; and
§ emissions data visualisation.
The paper and presentation will focus on:
§ an overview of key findings;
§ how the information will be used; and
§ lessons learned.