Action Programme Environment and Health North Rhine-Westphalia Outcomes Transport Housing and Health Dialogue Structures

Transcription

1 Action Programme Environment and Health North Rhine-Westphalia Outcomes Transport Housing and Health Dialogue Structures Aktionsprogramm Umwelt und Gesundheit Nordrhein-Westfalen

2 Editor Ministry of the Environment, Conservation, Agriculture and Consumer Protection of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia Schwannstr Düsseldorf, Germany infoservice@munlv.nrw.de

3 Action Programme Environment and Health North Rhine-Westphalia Outcomes Action Programme Environment and Health 1 North Rhine-Westphalia Outcomes Transport Housing and Health Dialogue Structures Table of Contents Introduction 3 Background and starting position 3 Objectives and way of working 4 Objectives of APUG NRW 6 Transport, environment and health 6 Housing and health 7 Dialogue structures in environmental health protection 8 Communication and international networks 9 Evaluation and prospects 10 Evaluation 10 Prospects 10 Introduction Background and starting position The European Charter on Environment and Health 2 which was adopted in 1989 states that every individual is entitled to an environment conducive to the highest attainable level of health and wellbeing. In this spirit, at their Second Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health in Helsinki in 1994, the European WHO Member States adopted the Environmental Health Action Plan for Europe EHAPE. This plan was intended to provide orientation for the planning and implementation of measures in the field of environment and health in Europe. To put the plan into effect, the participating countries committed themselves to drawing up corresponding national action plans or action programmes on environment and health. Meanwhile, most of the Member States of WHO Europe have prepared national action plans. In Germany, the national action programme referred to as APUG 3 was brought into being in In North Rhine- Westphalia, a regional action programme APUG NRW was started in 2002 ( 1 German acronym: APUG The national APUG can be downloaded from the Internet at

4 4 Action Programme Environment and Health North Rhine-Westphalia Outcomes Background situation in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) With 18 million people, North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous German state. It is characterised by a high population and traffic density as well as a high degree of industrialisation. The negative impact of these conditions on the natural resources has in the last years led to intensive and successful efforts aimed at improving environment conditions (air pollution control, water pollution control and soil protection). Concerning the reasons for environmental pollution, the proportion of nonpoint sources has meanwhile considerably gained in importance as opposed to the point sources. In response to this background, North Rhine-Westphalia, complying with the proposal formulated at the 1999 WHO Conference in London to strengthen the local and regional implementation of action programmes, has drawn up its own Environment and Health Action Programme (APUG NRW). It complements the national action programme and builds on the structures established in NRW. The priority objectives of the programme are Transport, environment and health and Housing and health. To raise the awareness of above all decision-making bodies and the public for the relationship between environment and health, the crosssectional issue of Dialogue structures in environmental health protection was included in the action programme. APUG NRW bundles tasks and initiatives in environmental health protection, promotes interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral cooperation and provides incentives particularly for practical measures in the field of environment and health. It is mainly project-oriented. Its main focus of implementation is the local level. Objectives and way of working Objectives of APUG NRW improving environmental health protection minimising environmental health risks explaining the relationship between environmental pollution and health raising the awareness of decision-making bodies in politics and administration for the relationship between environment and health improving the decision-making competence of the people in NRW promoting new forms of cooperation and information exchange The action programme aims to improve NRW s environmental health protection. This above all involves reducing environment-associated health impairments. Here a distinction is made between the individual options for action of the citizens on the one hand and the framework conditions fixed by politics and administration on the other hand. For these two levels, knowledge about the relationship between environment and health and consciousness about the direct links between environment and health are important prerequisites for health-conscious and environment-friendly ways of behaviour. Knowledge and findings from the sectors of environment and health must be checked with regard to aspects they have in common and perhaps be restructured, existing knowledge gaps be closed and findings be appropriately communicated to the corresponding target groups. The objectives are to raise the awareness among decision-making bodies in politics and administration and to improve the decision-making competence of the citizens in NRW. New forms of cooperation and information exchange are being promoted. APUG NRW bases its activities on the people s social environment and includes the entire environment in which people live, work and act as consumers. This approach allows to deal with the population s interest in the relationship between environment and health in a positive way and to include it in the programme activities. The aspect of gender mainstreaming is considered throughout the work of APUG NRW.

5 Action Programme Environment and Health North Rhine-Westphalia Outcomes Way of working The structure of APUG NRW s work is determined by the interaction between the steering group, thematic working groups and regularly held events for stakeholders the so-called forums. This way of working supports the setting up of networks among the working structures, the exchange of experiences and the interdisciplinary dialogue. A further outstanding feature of APUG NRW s way of working is the organisation and implementation of projects. They can be divided into scientific and technological analyses, development of guidelines and providing orientation for experts and information materials for public relations work in the field of environmental health protection. In accordance with the requirements resulting from the health-related approaches of the EU directive on air quality and noise, the forums are mainly focused on the issues of Transport, environment and health when it comes to demonstrating and assessing the possibilities of reducing air pollutants and noise and their related health impacts. The projects treated within the scope of Housing and health have up to now been concentrated on indoor air quality in residential buildings. Steering group The action programme is coordinated by a steering group under the lead management of NRW s Ministry of the Environment (MUNLV). Members are the ministries of Health, Transport and Construction, the Association of Cities and Towns, representatives of NGO s in the field of consumer and nature protection, science, authorities on different administrative levels. The steering group coordinates all activities of APUG NRW, proposes procedures and ensures the exchange of information between the programme s institutions and groups and from there back to the steering group. Its composition tries to reflect the interdisciplinary and participative keynote idea of the action programme. APUG NRW forums APUG NRW regularly invites institutions and social groups primarily from NRW s environment and health sectors to participate in the forums. These provide a platform for presenting the ongoing work and for collecting proposals and ideas for the further design and shaping of the action programme. New aspects and points of view are in this way included in the work and the number of participants is increased. The main focus of implementing NRW s Environment and Health Action Programme is on the local level. This results from the fact that a number of environmental health problems occur at the local level and have to be solved by the responsible local authorities. Here APUG NRW wants to provide support. The number of projects carried out up to now particularly in the traffic sector have been initiated by the local level and been implemented together with the local municipalities hence from practice for practice. Programme outcomes and public relations In addition to numerous publications prepared under APUG NRW, the website provides comprehensive information about the action programme but also generally on environmental health activities at the national and international level. In addition to the APUG NRW Internet presentation, an APUG newsletter was published at the beginning of first edition of the newsletter via subscriptions (free of charge) can be arranged online via

6 6 Action Programme Environment and Health North Rhine-Westphalia Outcomes Objectives of APUG NRW Transport, environment and health Today, air and noise pollution from road traffic is the biggest environmental problem, above all in conurbations. The stringent health-related limit values for PM 10 and NO 2 are exceeded in many places. Measures aimed at reducing these pollutions therefore not only contribute to increased environment protection but also to the protection of the population s health. Implementing the EU air quality directive is a priority concern of NRW s environmental policy. Up to now, air pollution control and action plans have been drawn up in 23 municipalities and towns and cities in NRW. The consistent implementation of the above all locally effective measures contained therein has shown first successes. But these measures alone are not sufficient to satisfy EU requirements. In particular conurbations require regional action plans which will also lead to a reduction of the background problems. Another major health-relevant aspect refers to traffic-caused noise pollution. Also in this respect NRW s conurbations are faced with special challenges and tasks. The environmental noise directive obliges the EU Member States to carry out differentiated noise pollution analyses in particularly affected areas and to draw up action plans for a medium to long-term reduction of noise pollution. For this purpose, a binding schedule has been fixed. Objectives pertaining to Transport, environment and health creating more environmentally friendly and healthier traffic structures in NRW s conurbations provision of working materials at the local level for the planning and implementation of measures aimed at reducing air and noise pollution raising the awareness of decision-making bodies in politics and administration at all levels for the relationship between transport, environment and health The traffic-related projects are aimed at providing support for the implementation of the EU directive on air quality and environmental noise pollution and at providing incentives for an environment-friendly and healthpromoting mobility behaviour. One major priority is the evaluation of possible reductions in air pollution and noise emissions. Some aspects and results of the comprehensive project work of this thematic area are described in the following. Project Preventive Health Protection by Exploiting the Reduction Potential with Respect to Road Traffic Noise and Air Pollution including the sub-projects 1: Calculating the impacts of technological emission abatement measures for motor vehicles as well as of locally effective traffic management measures on road traffic noise and air pollutants 2: Risk calculation of the impact of traffic-related air pollutants and road traffic noise on the health of exposed persons 3: Options and limits of town planning shown by the example of the city of Bottrop-Ebel 4: Cooperation between environment planning and town/traffic planning Project Contents and forms of communication concerning the relationship between environment, health and traffic with the specific modules of: NRW state competition GesundMobil Brochure Verkehr, Umwelt und Gesundheit Occupational mobility management

7 Action Programme Environment and Health North Rhine-Westphalia Outcomes Summary of the Transport element As a result of the projects completed up to now, working materials have been produced which will in particular help the local environment and traffic authorities in their assessment and decision-making processes during the planning and implementation of measures for the reduction of air pollutants and noise levels. These studies were the first to consider air pollutants in combination with noise pollution. The findings gained from this priority issue of the programme are presently being implemented for example in the form of NRW s Air Pollution Control and Action Plans. They serve to comply with the EU s quality requirements (EU Air Quality Framework Directive) for the protection of the population s health in European conurbations. A second major concern with regard to the traffic aspect is to make both decision-making bodies in politics and administration but also the public more aware of the complex relationship between traffic, environment and health. APUG NRW supports plans for more environment and health-conducive mobility and provides the public with information materials. Housing and health It is without question that housing and the housing environment have an impact on health, well-being and quality of life: healthy housing is an elementary need. Considering the fact that people in our part of the world mostly live indoors, indoor air quality is of course of central importance for health. It is influenced by building materials, by furnishings and by the behaviour of the occupants. The issue of building modernisation with due consideration to be given to energy aspects has considerably gained in importance against the background of rising energy costs and climate changes. But also demographic changes and altering social structures lead to changes in existing residential buildings. With these alterations required to be made to residential buildings, little additional effort and money is often necessary to also improve healthy housing conditions. Here information must be provided and the people s attention be attracted to the ordinary everyday things which, if slightly modified, could contribute to improved indoor air quality. Objectives in the field of Housing and health Identification, avoidance and reduction of building material-bound pollutants in the indoor air of homes Reduction of health risks during and after the modernisation and refurbishment of older houses In this thematic area, APUG NRW puts one major focus on the identification, avoidance and reduction of pollutants which through building materials may get into the indoor air of homes. This problem is of special importance to NRW since most of the residential houses are older than 25 years and were thus built at a time when much less was known about pollutants in building materials or when people were perhaps less aware of this problem than today. Residential buildings of this age are often modernised or refurbished be it to improve their energy efficiency or be it to adapt the size of flats on the rental flat market to changed requirements on the part of the tenants. Laymen entrusted with this work but also often construction experts lack the necessary knowledge and information on building materials which could constitute a health risk. Translating state-of-the-art construction knowledge into the practice of house-building, modernisation and refurbishment shall be encouraged. The target groups are experts, the increasing number of do-it-yourselfers and of course people wanting to know more about their direct housing environment and what they themselves could do for the improvement of healthy housing conditions. Guidelines for construction experts and brochures for interested laymen are the instruments to ensure this transfer.

8 8 Action Programme Environment and Health North Rhine-Westphalia Outcomes Summary on Housing and health With its healthy housing contributions, APUG NRW is highlighting some important aspects for the future improvement of healthy housing conditions and given support in this respect. By helping people to make the right decision when it comes to selecting construction materials available on the market both for new buildings and refurbishment, APUG NRW is contributing to a changed behaviour on the part of the consumers in this sector. The explanations given on the great number of ecolabels for construction materials leads to improved consumer protection in this field. Modernisation guideline brochures in a similar way help to reduce mistakes and errors which laymen but also construction experts could make during complex decision-making processes with respect to construction and modernisation measures. Thus APUG NRW has been able to use its strengths for interdisciplinary cooperation among different sectors, industries and activities to the benefit of the matter in hand and preventive environmental health protection. Dialogue structures in environmental health protection Good structures of dialogue in environmental health protection above all between authorities and the public are a prerequisite enabling authorities to make decisions not only for, but together with the citizens. They can lead to increased transparency in decision-making processes and thus to more confidence in actions of administrative institutions. But also communication among authorities is an important factor when it comes to including the concerns of environment and health protection into planning or approval procedures. In addition to improving the quality of decisions, positive effects can also be reached with regard to the effectiveness and efficiency of decision-making processes and legal security. Objectives with regard to dialogue structures to increase the transparency of decision-making processes to improve communication and the ability for dialogue between citizens and authorities to improve cooperation structures among authorities APUG NRW, in an exemplary approach, analyses such dialogue structures and uses them as a basis for deriving recommendations for actors. This thematic area shall also in future be continued in APUG NRW as a cross-sectional activity. Environment and health concerns in local-level planning procedures Anticipatory and preventive planning measures are important prerequisites for sustainable developments. Here special importance has to be attached to environment and health-related aspects. Supported by NRW s Association of Cities and Towns and by four municipalities, a project was carried out in 2004/2005 dealing with the inclusion of environment and health-related aspects in local-level planning procedures. With the help of practical examples of town and country development planning, the project aims to show how environment and health-related concerns can be included and considered in planning procedures with as little effort as possible. The final report of the project contains numerous incentives and ideas derived from practical experiences in order to optimise the structures of cooperation.

9 Action Programme Environment and Health North Rhine-Westphalia Outcomes Dialogue structures shown by the example of industrial establishments in accordance with the Major Accidents Ordinance The Major Accidents Ordinance (12. BImSchV) stipulates the provision of written information about the industrial establishment and measures and/or behaviour for the neighbourhood which might be affected by major accident hazards. This information is, however, often not regarded as sufficient to ensure the neighbourhood s confidence in the safety measures. Which forms and instruments of communication prove to be helpful was ascertained in literature and internet researches carried out on industrial establishments in accordance with the provisions of the Major Accidents Ordinance. Good-practice-examples are described and recommendations on the shaping and optimisation of the dialogue structures given. Good communication structures can in fact contribute to avoiding conflict situations, increase transparency and credibility and in the end help to maintain, accept and ensure entrepreneurial sites. Due to the high population and industry density, this topic is of special relevance to North Rhine-Westphalia. The project was carried out with the involvement of companies, authorities, nature conservation associations and the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI). Communication and international networks APUG NRW and implementation of the EU Environment and Health Action Plan In June 2004, the EU Commission published its EU Environment and Health Action Plan developed within the framework of its environment and health strategy. The action plan focuses on integrated approaches for the identification and avoidance of health risks caused by environmental factors. An important element is the inclusion of all stakeholders from the fields of environment and health at the different levels of administration, the public, the economy, science and non-government organisations. To specify the contents and implementation of the action plan in greater detail, a congress of the EU Commission was held under Dutch presidency in December 2004 to which the Member States were invited. In particular the issues of traffic (noise levels and pollutants) indoor air, risk communication and involvement of the public were put at the top of the agenda. Most of these objectives are dealt with by APUG NRW. APUG NRW and WHO process One of WHO s priority issues has for years also been the relationship between environment and health. At the Helsinki Ministers Conference in 1994, the Member States of WHO/Europe agreed to draw up national action plans. In June 2004, the Fourth WHO Ministers Conference on Environment and Health was held in Budapest where APUG NRW was also presented. The discussions and final papers of the conference highlighted the action areas of Housing and health, Partnership-based cooperation between politics and civil society, Strengthening of prevention as well as confirmation and continuation of the London Charter on Traffic, Environment and Health already adopted at the third conference. Thematic links with the APUG NRW issues were thus further underlined.

10 10 Action Programme Environment and Health North Rhine-Westphalia Outcomes APUG NRW and cooperation with the neighbouring countries The Environment and health issue is also being treated within the framework of MUNLV s cross-border cooperation in the field of environmental protection with the Dutch neighbouring provinces of Overijssel, Gelderland and Limburg. A jointly organised conference was held in April 2006 in Venlo. This cooperation shall in future be intensified, the inclusion of the Belgian province of Flanders is among other things being discussed. PRONET - Pollution Reduction Options Network In accordance with the ideas of APUG NRW the Environmental Ministry NRW initiated an EU Project which aims on analysing implementation approaches of environment and health related policies of the EU within the member states. Developing recommendations for future politics and establishing a network of European Region in the field of indoor air quality and transport, environment and health are other main objectives of the project ( Evaluation and prospects Evaluation Between October 2004 and November 2005, APUG NRW was monitored by external evaluation activities (performed by: Institute of Medical Sociology, Heinrich-Heine-University of Düsseldorf). The main methodological tools were structured interviews with the most important actors, focus group discussions, target group surveys as well as the analysis of relevant documents with regard to contents and form. Based on these working steps, the evaluation among other things comes to the conclusion that APUG NRW has developed into a very productive and well organised initiative, that it has contributed to an improved information basis on the relationship between environment and health in NRW and that cooperation in the field of environmental health protection has improved at the different levels. Assuming that present working structures and thematic priorities will be continued, the evaluators recommend the further profiling and concentration of the work, a more intensive establishment of the programme activities at the local level and improved communication of the working results to a broader public. Prospects Future concentration on the objectives of Transport and Housing and health : the programme activities shall in future be stronger concentrated on the priority issues of transport and housing and health. By extending in particular the latter to also include the field of housing environment, a link with town and traffic planning aspects has been established which has already played a role in connection with the transport issue. The demand for further results will be ensured by the fact that environmentally friendly and healthy living conditions particularly in NRW s conurbations will in future play an increasingly important role as a location factor. In this context, the European strategies are also important such as for example on air pollution control, ambient noise pollution and urban environment. The equality issue with the main focus on sustainability and health has been included in the programme as a cross-sectional issue. First examinations on this issue show clear correlation between individual social status indicators and external stress factors as well as several health-related individual indicators.

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