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Greenness, Air Pollution, and health (GAP)

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Research group, from 2021 meeting at Solstrand

The Greenness, Air Pollution and health (GAP) research group is part of a wide international research network. 

Our vision is to contribute to a more sustainable society through increased knowledge on how environmental exposures - both good and bad - affect health in different parts of the population.

The research group is part of the Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Norway.

Our focus is currently on long-term effects of greenness and air pollution exposures, but in the future the work of this group will also encompass a more holistic approach assessing the impacts of a wide range of environmental exposures and lifestyle factors on public health. We aim for our knowledge to be implemented in guidelines and policymaking, with the overarching aim of improving public health within a sustainability framework.

Our focus is international, and our research partners come from all over Europe. The largest ongoing project at the moment is Life-GAP.

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PhD students Shanshan Xu and Robin Mzati Sinsamala from the Greenness, Air Pollution, and health (GAP) research group attended the Urban Transitions 2024 conference in Sitges, Spain

GAP PhD students attend Urban Transitions 2024 Conference

PhD students Shanshan Xu and Robin Mzati Sinsamala from the Greenness, Air Pollution, and health (GAP) research group attended the Urban Transitions 2024 conference held from 5-7 November in Sitges, Spain, an event closely aligned with the GAP´s focus on the health impacts of urban air pollution and...

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Table of air quality standards, comparing annual limit values for PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 between WHO and the EU, expressed in micrograms per cubic meter.

GAP research group welcomes new EU air quality legislation

On 14 October 2024, the EU Council formally adopted the revised Ambient Air Quality Directive (AAQD). This pivotal legislation introduces stricter limits on major air pollutants such as particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and ozone (O3), aligning it more with the World Health...

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City development engaging people together to draft the plan.

GAP presented key perspectives on sustainability for new government white paper

At the open meeting for the upcoming government white paper on sustainability efforts, held on 16th September 2024 in Bergen, Professor Ane Johannessen presented key insights on integrating sustainable solutions into urban planning and public health.

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Panel discussion on Hot Topic at ERS: Overcoming the challenges of increasing urbanization for respiratory health

ERS 2024 Hot Topic: Urbanization and Respiratory Health

The Greenness, Air Pollution, and Health (GAP) research group helped organised a significant hot topic session at the European Respiratory Society Congress (ERS) 2024 in Vienna, emphasizing the transformative potential of urban environments for respiratory health.

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Group photo of various research groups gathered outside the meeting room at the NH Danube City hotel in Vienna on September 7, 2024.

Collaborative insights at multi-project meeting in Vienna

Research groups from across Europe met in Vienna, Austria, to enhance collaboration on key respiratory health projects.

Group members:

IGS, UiB: professor Ane Johannessen, professor Magne Bråtveit, professor Cecilie Svanes, associate professor Jorunn Kirkeleit, guest researcher Alessandro Marcon, PhD fellow Shanshan Xu and Robin Mzati Sinsamala. K2, UiB: researcher Randi Jacobsen Bertelsen.

Collaborators in the RHINE study and the Life-GAP project: Christer Jansson and Andrei Malinovschi (Uppsala University), Vivi Schlünssen and Torben Sigsgaard (University of Aarhus) Lars Modig (University of Umeå), Mathias Holm (University of Gothenburg), Thorarinn Gislason and Bryndis Benediktsdottir (University of Reykjavik), Simone Accordini (University of Verona), Joachim Heinrich (Ludwig Maximillians University), Rain Jögi and Hans Orru (University of Tartu), Iana Markevych (Jagellonian University).

Contact: leader of research group Ane Johannessen.