Burlington House
Royal Society Of Chemistry, Piccadilly, Mayfair, London W1J 0BA
UK
The negative impacts of air pollution on public health can be traced back thousands of years, and have been frequently associated with periods of economic expansion. From sulfurous fogs in London, through Californian smogs of the 70’s and the present problems in China, it seems impossible to drive rapid growth and wealth without debilitating environmental consequences. Despite decades of investment in clean technologies many cities, including London, suffer health impacts of air pollution that are as severe as ever.
Join Professor Alastair Lewis as he examines the history of pollution, why chemical lessons learnt from past events are not always applicable to solving modern day problems, and how our generally improving health leaves us more vulnerable to pollution.
Alastair Lewis is a professor of atmospheric chemistry at the University of York. He has participated in over 30 major atmospheric science field projects, from polar regions to tropical oceans, city centres to remote forests. Alastair was awarded the Desty Memorial Prize for Innovation in Separation Science in 2001, a Philip Leverhulme Prize in Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science in 2004, the Royal Society of Chemistry SAC Silver Medal in 2006 and the 2012 Royal Society of Chemistry John Jeyes Award for Environment, Energy and Sustainability.
In addition to teaching and research, Alastair is the Deputy Director of the National Centre for Atmospheric Science and is currently their Director for atmospheric composition.