Climate Change and Air Pollution Policies

Climate change policies are defined at the international level under the leadership of the United Nations.

In 1992 the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was signed calling for a stabilizing of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interferences with the climate system.

As a first step towards this goal the Kyoto Protocol was signed in 1997, which asks the developed world to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2% between 1990 and 2010.

The European Union has ratified the Kyoto Protocol, i.e. it has agreed to reduce its emissions by 8%, in order to contribute to the overall reduction of 5.2%. The Protocol became international law on 16 February 2005.

European policies to implement the Kyoto Protocol are developed under the European Climate Change Programme of the European Commission's DG Environment. So far they have led to the adoption by the European Council of ambitious plans to cut EU greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020 compared to 1990 levels. The monitoring of progress towards the goals of the UNFCCC and (in the future) of the Kyoto Protocol is carried out by the DG Environment's Climate Change Committee.

The Kyoto Protocol only mentions long-term greenhouse gases and not the conventional pollutants like ozone and aerosols that also have an impact on regional and global climate.

Policies for controlling conventional air pollutants are developed under the UN Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution, leading e.g. to the Gothenburg Protocol of 1997.

Three European Directives are dealing with Air Quality:
2001/81/EC - "NEC Directive" on national emission ceilings for certain atmospheric pollutants, 2004/107/EC - “4th Daughter Directive”: relating to arsenic, nickel,cadmium, mercury and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in ambient air, and 2008/50/EC – "CAFE Directive" on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe: dealing with ambient concentrations of particles (PM2.5/PM10), SO2, NO/NO2, O3, CO, benzene and lead.
The review process of Air Policy has been launched in 2011. Implementation issues with current legislation and new scientific evidence related to impacts of air pollution are being brought together. A proposal for a revised legislative document is expected to be presented in late 2013.
More information can be obtained here:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/air/review_air_policy.htm

In conclusion: greenhouse gases are controlled by one set of policies, whereas ozone and aerosols are controlled by another set of policies. Given that greenhouse gases, ozone and aerosol particles all play an important role in climate, and that they often have common sources, it is important to develop one set of integrated policies which tackle both climate change and air pollution in the best and more efficient way.

The Climate Change and Air Quality Unit gives support to the European Commission in its obligation to comply with the UN Conventions, and to develop and monitor its own European policies.