The Policy Pod

Air Quality and recent policy impact by University of Southampton researchers

In this episode we discuss air quality and the consequences of air pollution with Professor Sir Stephen Holgate, Clinical Professor of Immunopharmacology, and Doctor Natasha Easton, Air Quality Researcher and Specialist Policy Officer for the Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences.

Their engaging conversation explores the major steps taken so far to mitigate the acute effects of air pollution, as well as ongoing concerns related to long-term, life-course exposure and its role in accelerating disease and inflammatory processes. Nat also highlights the risks posed by this largely invisible form of pollution, which she brought to the attention of the Environmental Audit Committee in December 2025, subsequently securing a new Parliamentary Inquiry into air pollution.

Stephen and Nat discuss emerging research frontiers, including ultrafine particles, non-exhaust emissions, indoor air pollutants, and findings from a recent study on port emissions. They also mention potential developments in air quality monitoring systems in the Southampton area. In addition, they address issues of inequity, examining how poor air quality disproportionately affects disadvantaged communities, and outline key recommendations for urban design.

This is a particularly rich episode, in which our guests share their expertise to inform and empower the public, as well as stakeholders involved in raising awareness and shaping policy on air quality and environmental change. A central theme of the discussion is how to engage effectively with policymakers, combining academic research with public policy engagement to generate meaningful impact. The episode also emphasises the importance of early collaboration, sustained engagement, and the development of strong storytelling and communication skills.

As Professor Sir Stephen Holgate reflects at the end of the episode: “It’s important not to let opportunities miss you by. There will always be opportunities along the way – whether it’s talking to school children or participating in science festivals. Whatever the particular opportunity, you can’t go wrong by having a go, because everybody fails at times. What you may consider as failure can often be viewed as success through another pair of spectacles. Don’t be afraid to go out there and project yourself and say it like you would like to say it because you will be surprised what impact it can make”.

 

Read more about these topics below:

Nat Easton’s pitch to the Environmental Audit Committee: https://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/caad4680-d514-44f8-9b31-277b7e13090e                                                   

Nat Easton’s blog on securing the Parliamentary Inquiry: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/publicpolicy/dr_nat_easton_secures_aq_parliamentary_inquiry.page

University of Southampton response to the Environmental Audit Committee call for evidence – Air Pollution in England: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/publicpolicy/Air_Pollution_in_England_University_of_Southampton_Respo…

Mums for Lungs website: https://www.mumsforlungs.org/

C-Floor: Managing shelf sea carbon cycle and greenhouse gas release from physical disturbance of the seafloor

In this episode of the Policy Pod, we spotlight the NERC funded project C-Floor and discuss this project, alongside ongoing complementary research, and implications it has on future ocean use and policy with Professor Martin Solan and Professor Susan Gourvenec from the University of Southampton.

C-Floor explores how human activities disturbing the seafloor can affect the carbon cycle in the ocean and knock on impacts like the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere. The project focuses on single activities like bottom trawling and then explores the cumulative impact of several activities, including climate change pressure, happening together.

With team members from a range of background (marine ecologists, social economists, geotechnical engineers, policy officers) the project will also explore what society values when managing the marine environment, coastal community impacts, and how we can continue fishing sustainably to deliver a tool to policymakers to support evidence-based decisions.

Read more about the project and the interdisciplinary team on the C-floor webpage. 

Read more about the related project, Bowie, investigating how fixed offshore wind (OW) farm impact the marine ecosystem: https://ecowind.uk/projects/bowie/

Mapping Southampton's food system: Towards a healthier and more sustainable future

In this episode of The Policy Pod, we discuss Mapping Southampton's food system a Centre for the  south funded collaboration between the University of Southampton School of Biological Sciences and Southampton City Council. This work intended to shine a light on food inequalities at a local level, mapping the food system and listening to the voices of the community to inform policy. Dr Jenny Baverstock and Lucy Scullard discuss this work highlighting: The economic, health and environmental impacts of the local Food system in Southampton. 

They discuss the fact that locally, almost 1 in 3 businesses in Southampton are part of the food system. These provide over 6,700 jobs and contribute up to £487.3 million to Southampton’s economy per year (Figures as of 2024). However, over 40% of local people have reported experiencing food insecurity (Figure for 2023) and rates of childhood obesity are significantly higher in Southampton than the average for England 2022/23. Whilst the food system is also linked to a third of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.

The Mapping Southampton's food system: Towards a healthier and more sustainable future set out recommendations and has led to the formation of a city wide Southampton food partnership which has, since 2024, become a member of the Sustainable Food Places network.

 

For further information of the work discussed get in touch Email: J.Baverstock@soton.ac.uk and publichealth@southampton.gov.uk or Sotonfoodmap@soton.ac.uk

 

Get involved

Southampton Food Partnership welcomes new members as it is very much an evolving group. Please get in touch to be added to the distribution list and receive updates and invites to meetings. sotonfoodpartnership@gmail.com

 

For further information discussed in the Podcast please see the links below:

Policy brief

Tackling Childhood Obesity in Southampton

Blog posts

Southampton food partnership

Southampton data observatory

Rehabilitating Probation: Rebuilding culture, identity, and legitimacy in a reformed public service

In this episode of the Policy Pod, we spotlight the ESRC funded project Rehabilitating Probation and discuss it with Professor Harry Annison from the University of Southampton, Dr Matthew Millings from Liverpool John Moores University, and Cassia Rowland from the Institute for Government.

Rehabilitating Probation explores the experiences and consequences of the unification of probation services in 2021 for managers, practitioners, partners, and service users. The research team has examined the lessons that emerged about how to rebuild culture, identity, and legitimacy in a reformed public service. They have conducted 340 interviews, across three annual sweeps, and run research-led workshops in and beyond their case study region.

Read all the publications from the team here and find more details about their project on their website. snip

The Shaping Tomorrows Playbook - for everyone working at the intersection of climate science, policy, and leadership

In this episode of the Policy Pod, we spotlight the Shaping Tomorrows Playbook - the main output of the Shaping Tomorrows Project, a project led by the Climate Coaching Alliance and funded by our New Things Fund.

This episode features two of the Playbook’s key contributors -  Dr Ruby Campbell, executive coach, leadership consultant, author, and chief editor and project lead of the Shaping Tomorrows project; and Dr Wassim Dbouk, marine and maritime policy research fellow at the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute, project finance lead, and co-author.

Together, they discuss the Playbook’s evidence-based approach and its value for climate coaches, researchers, and anyone working at the intersection of climate science, policy, and leadership, and how our universities can support their inner development process. 

The Shaping Tomorrows Playbook introduces a structured, six-step framework designed to help readers navigate the political and organisational complexities of climate action by guiding them to develop the inner skills and capacities needed for effective leadership and change. It offers practical tools and reflective exercises grounded in current research to support impactful leadership and decision-making in sustainability contexts. The Playbook also encourages critical reflection, theory of change development, and interdisciplinary collaboration - key priorities for today’s research community. Download the Playbook here.

Whether you are a climate coach, a researcher, or a professional working to advance sustainability and climate action, we invite you to listen to this discussion to explore how the Shaping Tomorrows Playbook can enhance your engagement with policymakers, and support the translation of evidence into meaningful climate action.

And Towns: Understanding the role of culture in place-based decision-making

In this episode of The Policy Pod, we discuss And Towns, a series of AHRC-funded projects that develop culture-led solutions by working with places and communities. Dr Joseph Owen and Isaac Fravashi bring their knowledge and expertise on place-based approaches in the discussion of four different projects:

• Towns and the Cultural Economies of Recovery: a scoping project examining how English towns understood the role of culture in their recovery from the pandemic
• Feeling Towns: a knowledge exchange project exploring place attachment that uses creative methods to understand what pride means to different communities
• Neighbouring Data: an interdisciplinary research project analysing the use of qualitative and creative data in local authority and community-led decision-making
• Poetry, Policy and Place: a research project assessing the role of poetry as a tool for community engagement and for representing felt and lived experience

Southampton Coproduction Corner

In this episode, Professor Lucy Green, Head of Engagement in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Southampton and Rebecca Kinge from Southampton Voluntary Services talk about Southampton Coproduction Corner. Coproduction is a term that is being used more and more these days; it is all about working together as equals to develop policy, and to design and deliver services, “doing with” rather than “doing to.” Lucy and Rebecca reflect on how this Community of Practice evolved, creating a space for people to share knowledge and develop their confidence around coproduced approaches. They mention the range of people that have been involved in Southampton Coproduction Corner and how everybody worked together to identify key principles and recommendations that are published in the Making Coproduction Meaningful Policy Brief.

This work has received funding from the Centre for the South’s New Things Fund, HDRC Southampton, and has been possible thanks to the goodwill of many people who have given their time and energies to the project.

Leakage Border Adjustment Mechanism (LBAM)

In this episode, Dr. Chiara Forlati from the University of Southampton and Professor Alessia Campolmi from the University of Verona present their collaborative project—joint work also with Harald Fadinger, Sabine Stillger, and Ulrich J. Wagner—on the Leakage Border Adjustment Mechanism (LBAM). The LBAM is a trade policy designed to prevent carbon leakage induced by decarbonization policies. To enhance the project's impact, Dr. Forlati organized a roundtable discussion in London with policymakers and industry representatives, supported by the New Things Fund. Further information about the project can be found here.

AHRC Hub for Public Engagement with Music Research

In this episode, collaborators Dr Erin Johnson-Williams and Dr Benjamin Oliver from the Department of Music at the University of Southampton discuss the launch of the new AHRC Hub for Public Engagement with Music Research, which they run together with a team of independent experts (external co-lead Lisa Tregale), public engagement professionals (Caz Creagh, alongside training from Southampton’s PERu), and support on policy development from Public Policy Southampton. This Hub is hosted by the Faculty of Arts and Humanities and run through the Centre for Music Education and Social Justice. Over two years, the Hub will fund 4 large ‘spoke’ projects that will involve collaborations between academics and non-academics along the lines of social justice, music research and public engagement.

Erin and Ben talk about their careers in music and academia, the challenges of demystifying academic funding processes, and how social justice played a role in their vision for the Hub.

Dr Wassim Dbouk - insights from COP29

In this episode, Dr Wassim Dbouk, marine and maritime policy research fellow at the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute reflects on his experience as a negotiator as part of the Lebanese delegation during COP29. He shares insights he gained from his experience and talks us through his main responsibilities and activities during this COP. He highlighted support he received on his journey from the UUCN, the Women and Gender and YOUNGO constituencies, the Youth Negotiators Academy, and individuals he collaborated with on his PPS New Things Fund project "Shaping Tomorrow: A Playbook for Coaching Leaders in Sustainable Decision-Making and Policy. You can find out more by reaching out to Wassim on w.dbouk@soton.ac.uk"