Clean Air Journal = Tydskrif vir Skoon Lug - Volume 16, Issue 2, December 2007

NACA is looking ahead and in doing that we also need to look to the past. It's important that we remember what it is that we do and the reason we do it. Ultimately the gift of clean air is something we want to give to our children. I say that as the President of NACA and a father of two.

Piet Odendaal, Director of NACA, passed away from a heart attack on Tuesday 18^th September 2007, just days after returning from the 14th IUAPPA World Congress in Brisbane Australia.

Satellite retrievals have highlighted the South African Highveld as a region with one of the highest nitrogen oxide (NOx) emission densities in the world. There are numerous sources of NOx on the Highveld, including coal-fired power stations, petrochemical and other industries, motor vehicles and lightning, but surface measurements of NOx have not indicated that there is any cause for concern. A number of research initiatives are being undertaken in an attempt to resolve the discrepancy between surface measurements and satellite retrievals of NOx. An assessment of ground-level concentrations in various environments, including industrial and urban regions, has shown that NOx levels recorded in the low-income urban area are significantly higher than those recorded downwind of industries or power stations. NO2 column densities have been remotely sensed over the Highveld using an airborne imaging Differential Optical Absorption Spectrometer (iDOAS), in order to validate the satellite retrievals and investigate individual sources of NOx. Results from the first campaign show high NO2 integrated column densities in the immediate vicinity of sources. Well defined plumes can be observed downwind of prominent sources.

Due to the synergistic and antagonistic relationships that exist in the environmental policy arena, environmental policies cannot be treated in isolation (Hayes, 2006). The concept of integrated environmental management serves as a useful activity to enhance the ability to manage a resource that is affected by anthropogenic activities (Pahl-Wostl, 2007). Integrated environmental management allows for a broad perspective to be taken, whereby all the possible trade-offs and benefits are considered at various spatial and temporal scales (Pahl-Wostl, 2007). The atmospheric composition of the earth is greatly impacted on by anthropogenic emissions that lead to a variety of environmental management concerns.

Climate change has in the last 12 months reached the headlines after a gestation period of decades. It is high on the policy list for governments and now even the most sceptical politicians have accepted its reality, if not the urgency of measures to reduce its magnitude and adapt to what is unavoidable. This article will attempt to summarise recent findings and points to the need for urgent risk minimisation. In early 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world's leading scientific body on climate change, released the Summary for Policymakers of each of three Working Group reports. These reports form part of the IPCC's Fourth Assessment.