Air quality impacts all Canadians and affects many aspects of our lives and our society, including human health, the natural environment, buildings and infrastructure, crop production, and the economy. Federal, provincial and territorial governments share responsibility for air quality management. Under the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME), federal, provincial, and territori...

OverviewThe National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) of India stressed the importance of regional-level air quality management. An airshed is a geographical area frequently affected by the same air mass. As the airshed approach becomes critical to curtail air pollution in India, we must learn from global experiences of adopting it.This study reviewed the airshed approach adopted by the Mexico City Metr...

In 1998, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), together with the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) drew attention to the possibility of the impacts of transboundary air pollution in South Asia. This initiative led to the adoption of the Malé Declaration on Control and Prevention of Air Pollution and Its Likely Transboundary Effects for South Asia (Malé Declaration).The Malé Declarat...

Participants from the 14 Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries, representing governments, industry, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society, international organizations and academia, attended the Southern Africa Sub-Regional Policy Dialogue on Air Pollution in Lusaka, Zambia, during 5-6 March 2008 to develop the following Regional Policy Framework on Air Pollution in...

The Executive Body adopted the Gothenburg Protocol in Gothenburg, Sweden, on 30 November 1999.The Protocol establishes national emission ceilings for four pollutants—sulphur (SO₂), nitrogen oxides (NOₓ), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and ammonia (NH₃)—covering the period from 2010 to 2020. It builds on earlier protocols addressing sulphur (1985 and 1994), VOCs, and NOₓ emissions. These ceilin...

On October 1, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) strengthened the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone, lowering the primary and secondary ozone standard levels to 70 parts per billion (ppb). The South Coast Air Basin is classified as an “extreme” nonattainment area and the Coachella Valley is classified as a “severe-15” nonattainment area for the...

The Canada-United States Air Quality Agreement signed by Canada and the United States in 1991 to address transboundary air pollution leading to acid rain. Both countries agreed to reduce emissions of sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), the primary precursors to acid rain, and to work together on acid rain-related scientific and technical cooperation.The Ozone Annex was added to the Ca...

This report provides an up-to-date overview of existing and emerging carbon pricing instruments around the world, including international, national and subnational initiatives. It also investigates trends surrounding the development and implementation of carbon pricing instruments. Specifically, this includes the use of carbon taxes, emissions trading systems and crediting mechanisms....

In 2017, Chile began applying green taxes (or pigouvians) on stationary sources emitting local (PM, NO, SO2) and global (CO2) pollutants. This mechanism was without precedent in Chile and represents a pioneering effort in the region, which expands the range of tools for environmental management. Its main purpose is to complement existing efforts to reduce local atmospheric pollution –Chile´s forem...

Context: India’s push for clean air increasingly relies on market-based mechanisms that reward verified emission reductions rather than only compliance.CEEW Analysis: By directly capping emissions, using real-time data and rewarding cost-effective emission cuts, the Emissions Trading System (ETS) offers India a uniquely scalable and locally relevant market-based mechanism to cleaner urban air.Key ...