1. Environmental objectives and target setting
CAFE Steering Group 18 November 2004
André Zuber
Clean Air & Transport Unit
DG Environment

2. Environmental objective
What is ?
Environmental objective
General, often related to environmental impact
Expressing an ambition level
Long term – to be achieved ultimately
Interim objective – to be achieved a specific year
Long term - achieving critical loads,
Interim – ”gap closure” by 50% 1990 to 2010

3. What is ?
Targets
Specific concrete parameter and values to be achieved a specific year
AQ limit and target values, national emission ceilings
Also used in the context of integrated assessment modelling (environmental targets)

4. CAFE application of objectives and targets
In integrated assessment models
Exploring the implications of various policy options and achieving environmental objectives through cost-effective measures
”initial (long-term) targets …should be based only on environmental and health effects” SG Dec 2001
Later, estimates of costs, benefits, risk and risk perception and achievability also to be considered

5. Objectives for Thematic Strategy on Air Pollution
‘achieving levels of air quality that do not give rise to significant negative impacts on and risks to human health and the environment’; (Art 7.1. of 6th EAP)
‘no exceedence of critical loads and levels for acidification or eutrophication’
What is the Thematic Strategy
The 6th Environmental Action Programme (Decision 1600/2002/EC) was adopted jointly by the Council and the European Parliament in July 2002.
The 6EAP:
Obliges the Commission to propose a thematic strategy on air pollution not later than July 2005.
States that the Thematic strategy should be coherent and take an integrated approach and ensure linkages through to other environmental areas such as climate change.
“a thematic strategy to strengthen a coherent and integrated policy on air pollution to cover priorities for further actions, the review and updating where appropriate of air quality standards and national emission ceilings with a view to reach the long term objective of no-exceedence of critical loads and levels and the development of better systems for gathering information, modelling and forecasting”
Art 7 (f) of the 6EAP
stipulates that the thematic strategy should achieve levels of air quality that do not give significant negative impact on human health and the environment. This is in line with the Treaty where the objective is to achieve a high degree of environmental protection. However, we do not know exactly how to define “significant” since this is ultimately a political judgement on what is acceptable.
requires the thematic strategy to be published by July 2005.
Notes
A critical load is, for a particular ecosystem, a level of pollution below which the ecosystem ought not to be at significant risk of harm. The 6EAP sets an objective of no exceedence of critical loads for acidification and eutrophication.
Excess nitrogen inputs to a given ecosystem which are above the critical load may put the ecosystem at risk of eutrophication. This has implications for biodiversity as many plants succeed in nitrogen deficient environments such that when there is excess nitrogen, plant communities may change in favour of more nitrophillic species.

6. Long term objectives in policy guidance
Environmental effects:
acidification, eutrophication and ozone vegetation damage –no exceedence of Critical loads and levels
Health effects:
NO2 - WHO specific guideline values
Ozone – LTO in directive - new information from WHO
PM – ? LV, as low as possible, zero impact, background

7. Present representation of “no effect” level in IAM
Environmental effects
acidification, eutrophication and ozone vegetation damage no exceedence of Critical loads and levels
Health effects
NO2 – hotspots and health impact not addressed
Ozone – SOMO(35) not being exceeded
PM – no mortality impact due to anthropogenic fraction of PM2.5

8. Interim objectives/targets in IAM - present understanding
RAINS to explore the scope of improvement between baseline and maximum (technically) feasible reduction scenario in 2020
Three levels (”high”, ”medium” and ”low”) of environmental ambition
Five different dimensions
1) Eutrophication, 2)Acidification, 3) Ozone vegetation damage (on forests)
4) Loss of life expectancy due to PM and 5) deaths brought forward due to ozone

9. Interim objectives/targets in IAM – Work ahead for CAFE
Analyse 15 scenarios (3 ambition levels 5 dimensions and) up to 2020 – cost optimisation
Later joint optimisation for 3 ambition levels
Later scenario runs for interim years
As a basis for TS analyse scenarios where Community action is implemented uniformally (e.g. Euro 5)
Advice on additional policy scenarios including the ambition levels to be used in the TS