National Science Week 2021: The impact of air quality on health in South Africa

 

ABOUT THIS ACTIVITY:

The is a documentary about of air pollution and its impact on health. It uses one of the biggest environmental problems of our time and show how science helps to understand complex problems and shapes policymaking in South Africa. The current impact of air quality on health is estimated to be between 4 and 5% of GDP. This is larger than projected climate change impacts in 2050. People living in dense, low-income communities are carrying the brunt of the impact. Many different sources contribute to air quality and there are no easy solutions. The South African government has embarked on a series of projects where scientific investigation into the sources and levels of air pollution is used to build future scenarios. This is a great example of how the interaction between academia, government, industry and society drives innovation. 

The documentary tells the story from the perspective of a young student who grew up in Sharpeville. He lives in a community that are exposed to some of the worst air quality in South Africa. He came to university and is studying how we can manage this problem. He shows conditions in Sharpeville and through interviews and visits to air quality monitoring stations and other infrastructure, takes the audience on a journey of how we use science to inform policy. The documentary touches on the following topics:

  • highlighting the importance of air quality as the largest environmental health risk,
  • explaining what air quality and air pollution is,
  • explaining through what mechanism air pollution impacts on health,
  • shows what people think about air quality,
  • discusses different sources of pollution contributing to poor air quality in South African communities,
  • discusses how we manage air quality in South Africa,
  • shows young scientists working in the field of air quality management,
  • shows how science inform policy on important environmental issues,
  • shows young people how they can improve the lives of themselves and their communities through science.

 

 

PRESENTER:

Prof Roelof Burger

 

DATE:

6 August 2021

 

TIME:

09:00

 

LINK