Resumen de Communicating the risks of urban air pollution to the public. A study of urban air pollution information services in four spanish cities: Panel 2
Communicating to the public on urban air pollution is a complex task. It requires careful consideration of the goals and objectives of the communication, the target audience, the type of information and the messages to be conveyed, and the vehicles through which the message will be delivered. This complexity increases when the goal of communication is not only to make information on air pollution available to the public, but also to promote sociallybeneficial changes in the behaviour of various social groups. In order to understand in greater depth the challenges of communicating with the public on the subject of air pollution, westudy, based on interviews with experts and a documentary analysis, public air pollution information services and potential areas for reform in four Spanish cities. We identified themain features of these systems in terms of five dimensions (goals of communication, type of information, communication mechanisms, intended audience and intended effects), exploredthe limitations of these systems, and analysed the beliefs and assumptions of the experts concerning communicating with the public. We recommend that air quality managementplanners assess their opportunities to foster both a broader public engagement and behavioural modifications in a way that complements and extends current structural and informational interventions.
