The Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution and Protocols Martin Williams Chairman of the Executive Body of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution

More than 20 years of international cooperation to combat air pollution  The scientific basis dates back to the 1960s  First emphasis on acidification leading to the adoption of the Convention in 1979  In 1980s ground-level ozone and eutrophication become a target of action  Since 1990s, health-impacts are of major concern: heavy metals, POPs, fine particles

CONVENTION ON LONG-RANGE TRANSBOUNDARY AIR POLLUTION 50 Parties in Europe, North America and Central Asia

The Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution and its Protocols (all in force) 1979 Convention (50 Parties) 1983 Protocol on EMEP 1985 Protocol on Reduction of Sulphur Emissions 1988 Protocol to Control Nitrogen Oxide Emissions 1991 Protocol to Control VOC Emissions 1994 Protocol on Further Reduction of Sulphur Emissions 1998 Protocol on Heavy Metals 1998 Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants 1999 Protocol to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication and Ground-level Ozone

1 st generation Protocols: The 1985 Sulphur Protocol  Reduce sulphur emissions by at least 30% below 1980 levels  22 Parties  All in full compliance according to the Implementation Committee

1 st generation Protocols: The 1988 NOx Protocol  Stabilize NOx emissions at 1987 levels  Apply BAT to new stationary and mobile sources  28 Parties  All, but 7, in compliance with emission control obligation

1 st generation Protocols: The 1991 VOC Protocol  Reduce VOC emission by 30% with a base year between 1984 and 1990 – options for special cases  Apply BAT to mobile and stationary sources  Product measures  21 Parties  All, but 7, in compliance with emission reduction obligation

The multi-effect Protocol: the impact of the emission ceilings

Free Troposphere Boundary Layer N. AmericaAsiaEurope Intercontinental transport at northern mid-latitudes H H H L L L VERY LONG-RANGE TRANSPORT 25

The Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution - future action Review of the Protocol on Heavy Metals (complete 2006) Addition of new substances to the POPs Protocol – several substances are being reviewed for addition Review of the Protocol to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication and Ground-level Ozone (complete in 2007) possible revision of the Protocol to follow Assessment of intercontinental transport of air pollutants Outreach to other regions around the world Implementation of the Convention’s EECCA action plan In-depth review of reported emissions data to improve data quality Continued focus on compliance with Protocol obligations

Need for Global Cooperation on Air Pollution Control and Prevention –Health and environmental costs of air pollution are staggering –Great deal of activity underway around the world; mostly uncoordinated –Budgets are limited and need to avoid duplication of effort –Science showing pollution to be regional, hemispheric and even global in nature

Need for Global Cooperation on Air Pollution Control and Prevention Critical need to develop and harmonize high quality air pollution data bases across the various regions Growing consensus on need for coordinated assessment and pollution control strategies at the hemispheric scale A comprehensive global atmospheric pollution convention is one possible outcome to address hemispheric and global pollution issues Until then, there are opportunities to build on the efforts of existing regional initiatives, networks, and institutions

The Global Atmospheric Pollution Forum Interim Management Committee Comprised of: -- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) -- UN Economic Commission for Europe/ Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (UNECE/LRTAP) -- Clean Air Initiative (CAI) -- Air Pollution Information Network for Africa (APINA) -- The Inter-American Network for Atmospheric/Biospheric Studies (IANABIS) -- International Union of Air Pollution Prevention and Environmental Protection Associations (IUAPPA) -- Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) Secretariat provided by IUAPPA and SEI

Role of the Global Atmospheric Pollution Forum 1.Support efforts of regional networks to tackle air pollution at the regional, hemispheric and global scales; and support development of new networks, where needed 2.Promote sharing of experiences, collaboration and capacity building between regional networks 3.Promote discussion on more effective frameworks to address regional, hemispheric or global air pollution