While air quality in our cities has generally improved over the past several years, it remains a major public health issue. As part of its environmental health monitoring activities, Santé publique France coordinates the Air and Health Monitoring Program, which brings together national and regional partners to assess the impact of air pollution on health.

In this context, the Agency participated in the CEPEM project (characterization of pollution episodes and evaluation of implemented measures), launched in 2018, funded by Ademe as part of the PRIMEQUAL call for projects, and coordinated by Inserm (UMR-S 1136). The findings from this project will be presented at a results symposium organized by Ademe on September 26, 2023, for stakeholders in the field of air quality (local authorities, urban planners, businesses, ministry departments and DREAL, public agencies and institutes, associations, researchers, etc.).

What is the CEPEM project?

Project Objectives

The CEPEM project aims to analyze the impacts of pollution episodes/peaks on the health of the exposed population and to evaluate the effectiveness of specific public policies implemented, within the broader context of the health burden associated with air pollution.

• Learn more about the CEPEM project

Improving stakeholders’ knowledge to enhance air pollution reduction efforts

As part of this project, the Agency has identified actions taken by local stakeholders to improve air quality, particularly regarding transportation and mobility. This has enabled an analysis of the specific characteristics, success factors, and challenges associated with measures implemented in public transportation and mobility policies.

The main challenge is to build a knowledge hub around proven actions to equip stakeholders who can take charge of identifying measures and promote their replication nationwide.

Over 17 months of research conducted

A 17-month survey was conducted using questionnaires and interviews with a wide range of stakeholders from the public and nonprofit sectors: decentralized state administration, local governments, public intermunicipal cooperation agencies, associations, and others.
The CEPEM survey identified 173 measures across the entire country. These measures cover a wide range of topics, including cycling and pedestrian policies, public transit, urban calming, logistics, maritime and rail transport, greening, child protection, urban planning, and other related topics.

What are the main findings of this survey?

Several key findings can be drawn from the CEPEM survey, which should be interpreted in light of the specific territorial (geographical, economic, and social) contexts of each region:

• the majority of regions are addressing the issue of changing mobility patterns with objectives to increase the volume of “soft mobility” and public transportation, with varying levels of ambition;

• large-scale projects are mostly led by local governments with elected officials involved in project oversight; they apply for national funding calls, foster cross-departmental coordination within their agencies, and collaborate with community organizations, citizens, and, in some cases, the private sector;

• One of the main limitations of this survey is the lack of an assessment of the projects’ health and environmental impacts; however, the partnership with local AASQAs (approved air quality monitoring associations) is a real asset;

• The success of the measures and their social acceptance depend in particular on anticipating the social and economic impacts of these measures;

• Communication regarding the projects had a greater impact when it was repeated, concise, and addressed the health dimension in a “positive” manner.

How can I access the results?

Santé publique France makes all the results of this survey available to the public through the study report and a map that visually represents all the identified measures and allows users to view the associated descriptive information measure by measure.

See:

• Map of the 173 measures identified by Santé publique France

• Study report (Air-Health Epidemiology and Public Policy - The Ademe Library)

Furthermore, with a view to sharing knowledge and disseminating the survey results, a partnership initiative has been established with CEREMA (Center for Studies and Expertise on Risks, the Environment, Mobility, and Planning) to highlight the measures identified on the national platform “Territoire engagé pour mon environnement, ma santé” (Territory Committed to My Environment, My Health). This work is part of a broader set of national and local initiatives aimed at raising awareness of the measures implemented to improve air quality and health in France.