Press
Release ECE/ENV/99/11
Geneva, 24 November 1999
NEW AIR POLLUTION PROTOCOL
TO SAVE LIVES AND THE ENVIRONMENT
On 1 December,
Environment Ministers from Europe and North America will meet in Gothenburg (Sweden) to
sign a new Protocol to the UN/ECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution. It
will be the Convention’s eighth protocol since its adoption at the United Nations
Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) exactly 20 years ago. And according to
Lars Nordberg, Deputy Director of the UN/ECE Environment and Human Settlements
Division, it is also "the most sophisticated environmental agreement ever negotiated
and will yield great benefits, for both our environment and our health."
The Protocol to Abate Acidification,
Eutrophication and Ground-level Ozone aims to cut emissions of sulphur, nitrogen
oxides, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and ammonia from energy generation, industrial
sources, motor vehicles, agriculture and products.
Acidification, eutrophication and
ground-level ozone continue to destroy our environment and to harm our health. For
instance, acidification affects fish populations and forest soils in Europe and
North America and causes corrosion of buildings and monuments. In sensitive areas, high
nitrogen deposition results in eutrophication. Some plant species grow excessively
and others disappear. In coastal and inland waters, blooms of - often toxic - algae
deplete oxygen, harming plants, fish and other life forms. Industrial and motor vehicle
emissions and the use of certain products (e.g. solvents and paints) cause ground-level
ozone (‘summer smog’). Ground-level ozone damages lung function,
particularly in children and asthmatics. Ozone also causes leaf injury in plants,
including crops and trees, and causes mainly organic materials like paint or rubber to
disintegrate. Finally, cutting the pollutants targeted by the Protocol will also
significantly lower concentrations of particulate matter, which causes severe
respiratory problems.
The Protocol sets reduction targets for
all four pollutants. By 2010, Europe’s sulphur emissions should be cut by 63%, its
NOx emissions by 41%, its VOC emissions by 40% and its ammonia emissions by 17% compared
to their 1990 levels. Each country’s individual ceilings depend (a) on the impact
that its emissions have on public
health and (b) on the vulnerability of the
environment that they pollute. Countries whose emissions have the most severe health or
environmental impact and whose emissions are the cheapest to reduce will have to make the
biggest cuts. (See annex for individual countries’ targets. The sulphur, nitrogen
oxide and VOC emission reductions of Canada and the United States will be incorporated
when they ratify the Protocol.)
The Protocol also sets limit values for
specific emission sources (e.g. combustion plant, electricity production, dry cleaning,
cars and lorries) and requires best available techniques to be used to keep emissions
down. VOC emissions from such products as paints or aerosols will also have to be cut.
Finally, farmers will have to control ammonia emissions (manure, artificial fertilizer).
Once all the targets are met, the area in
Europe with excessive levels of acidification will shrink from 93 million hectares in 1990
to 15 million hectares in 2010. That with excessive levels of eutrophication will fall
from 165 million hectares in 1990 to 108 million hectares in 2010. The number of days with
excessive ozone levels will be halved. Consequently, it is estimated that life-years lost
as a result of the chronic effects of ozone exposure will be about 2,300,000 lower in 2010
than in 1990, and there will be approximately 47,500 fewer premature deaths resulting from
ozone and particulate matter in the air. The exposure of vegetation to excessive ozone
levels will be 44% down on 1990.
Furthermore, an analysis carried out
during the Protocol’s negotiations has shown that its expected benefits (healthier
population, higher agricultural productivity, less damage to buildings, etc.) far outweigh
its estimated costs (e.g. end-of-pipe control or energy-efficiency measures) –
probably by a factor of 3 or more. The total cost of achieving the Protocol’s
ceilings amounts to some US$ 75 billion a year for Europe. "This sounds like a lot,
but it’s a mere US$ 107 per European per year. It’s cheap at the price,"
claims Lars Nordberg. "After all, the benefits have been estimated at a staggering
US$ 214 billion a year."
For more information, please contact:
Lars NORDBERG, Deputy Director
UN/ECE Environment and Human Settlements Division
Palais des Nations, office 346
CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Phone: (+41 22) 917 23 54
Fax: (+41 22) 907 01 07
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: http://www.unece.org/env/lrtap/
Annex
EMISSION
CEILINGS IN EUROPE
Table 1. Sulphur (thousands of tonnes of SO2 per year)
| |
Emission levels |
Emission ceilings
for 2010 |
Percentage emission reductions for 2010
(base year 1990) |
| Party |
1980 |
1990 |
|
|
| Armenia |
141 |
73 |
73 |
0% |
| Austria |
400 |
91 |
39 |
-57% |
| Belarus |
740 |
637 |
480 |
-25% |
| Belgium |
828 |
372 |
106 |
-72% |
| Bulgaria |
2050 |
2008 |
856 |
-57% |
| Croatia |
150 |
180 |
70 |
-61% |
| Czech Republic |
2257 |
1876 |
283 |
-85% |
| Denmark |
450 |
182 |
55 |
-70% |
| Finland |
584 |
260 |
116 |
-55% |
| France |
3208 |
1269 |
400 |
-68% |
| Germany |
7514 |
5313 |
550 |
-90% |
| Greece |
400 |
509 |
546 |
7% |
| Hungary |
1633 |
1010 |
550 |
-46% |
| Ireland |
222 |
178 |
42 |
-76% |
| Italy |
3757 |
1651 |
500 |
-70% |
| Latvia |
- |
119 |
107 |
-10% |
| Liechtenstein |
0.39 |
0.15 |
0.11 |
-27% |
| Lithuania |
311 |
222 |
145 |
-35% |
| Luxembourg |
24 |
15 |
4 |
-73% |
| Netherlands |
490 |
202 |
50 |
-75% |
| Norway |
137 |
53 |
22 |
-58% |
| Poland |
4100 |
3210 |
1397 |
-56% |
| Portugal |
266 |
362 |
170 |
-53% |
| Republic of Moldova |
308 |
265 |
135 |
-49% |
| Romania |
1055 |
1311 |
918 |
-30% |
| Russian Federation a/ |
7161 |
4460 |
|
|
| PEMA b/ |
1062 |
1133 |
635 |
-44% |
| Slovakia |
780 |
543 |
110 |
-80% |
| Slovenia |
235 |
194 |
27 |
-86% |
| Spain a/ |
2959 |
2182 |
774 |
-65% |
| Sweden |
491 |
119 |
67 |
-44% |
| Switzerland |
116 |
43 |
26 |
-40% |
| Ukraine |
3849 |
2782 |
1457 |
-48% |
| United Kingdom |
4863 |
3731 |
625 |
-83% |
| European Community |
26456 |
16436 |
4059 |
-75% |
a/ Figures apply to the European part within the
EMEP area.
b/ Pollutant emissions management area.
Table 2. Nitrogen oxides (thousands of tonnes of NO2 per year)
| |
Emission levels
1990 |
Emission
ceilings for 2010 |
Percentage emission
reductions for 2010
(base year 1990) |
| Party |
| Armenia |
46 |
46 |
0% |
| Austria |
194 |
107 |
-45% |
| Belarus |
285 |
255 |
-11% |
| Belgium |
339 |
181 |
-47% |
| Bulgaria |
361 |
266 |
-26% |
| Croatia |
87 |
87 |
0% |
| Czech Republic |
742 |
286 |
-61% |
| Denmark |
282 |
127 |
-55% |
| Finland |
300 |
170 |
-43% |
| France |
1882 |
860 |
-54% |
| Germany |
2693 |
1081 |
-60% |
| Greece |
343 |
344 |
0% |
| Hungary |
238 |
198 |
-17% |
| Ireland |
115 |
65 |
-43% |
| Italy |
1938 |
1000 |
-48% |
| Latvia |
93 |
84 |
-10% |
| Liechtenstein |
0.63 |
0.37 |
-41% |
| Lithuania |
158 |
110 |
-30% |
| Luxembourg |
23 |
11 |
-52% |
| Netherlands |
580 |
266 |
-54% |
| Norway |
218 |
156 |
-28% |
| Poland |
1280 |
879 |
-31% |
| Portugal |
348 |
260 |
-25% |
| Republic of Moldova |
100 |
90 |
-10% |
| Romania |
546 |
437 |
-20% |
| Russian Federation a/ |
3600 |
|
|
| PEMA b/ |
360 |
265 |
-26% |
| Slovakia |
225 |
130 |
-42% |
| Slovenia |
62 |
45 |
-27% |
| Spain a/ |
1113 |
847 |
-24% |
| Sweden |
338 |
148 |
-56% |
| Switzerland |
166 |
79 |
-52% |
| Ukraine |
1888 |
1222 |
-35% |
| United Kingdom |
2673 |
1181 |
-56% |
| European Community |
13161 |
6671 |
-49% |
a/ Figures apply to
the European part within the EMEP area.
b/ Pollutant emissions management area.
Table 3. Ammonia (thousands of tonnes of NH3 per year)
| |
Emission levels
1990 |
Emission
ceilings for 2010 |
Percentage
emission
reductions for 2010
(base year 1990) |
| Party |
| Armenia |
25 |
25 |
0% |
| Austria |
81 |
66 |
-19% |
| Belarus |
219 |
158 |
-28% |
| Belgium |
107 |
74 |
-31% |
| Bulgaria |
144 |
108 |
-25% |
| Croatia |
37 |
30 |
-19% |
| Czech Republic |
156 |
101 |
-35% |
| Denmark |
122 |
69 |
-43% |
| Finland |
35 |
31 |
-11% |
| France |
814 |
780 |
-4% |
| Germany |
764 |
550 |
-28% |
| Greece |
80 |
73 |
-9% |
| Hungary |
124 |
90 |
-27% |
| Ireland |
126 |
116 |
-8% |
| Italy |
466 |
419 |
-10% |
| Latvia |
44 |
44 |
0% |
| Liechtenstein |
0.15 |
0.15 |
0% |
| Lithuania |
84 |
84 |
0% |
| Luxembourg |
7 |
7 |
0% |
| Netherlands |
226 |
128 |
-43% |
| Norway |
23 |
23 |
0% |
| Poland |
508 |
468 |
-8% |
| Portugal |
98 |
108 |
10% |
| Republic of Moldova |
49 |
42 |
-14% |
| Romania |
300 |
210 |
-30% |
| Russian Federation a/ |
1191 |
|
|
| PEMA b/ |
61 |
49 |
-20% |
| Slovakia |
62 |
39 |
-37% |
| Slovenia |
24 |
20 |
-17% |
| Spain a/ |
351 |
353 |
1% |
| Sweden |
61 |
57 |
-7% |
| Switzerland |
72 |
63 |
-13% |
| Ukraine |
729 |
592 |
-19% |
| United Kingdom |
333 |
297 |
-11% |
| European Community |
3671 |
3129 |
-15% |
a/ Figures apply to the European part within the
EMEP area.
b/ Pollutant emissions management area.
Table 4. Volatile
organic compounds (thousands of tonnes of VOC per year)
| |
Emission levels
1990 |
Emission
ceilings for
2010 |
Percentage
emission
reductions for 2010
(base year 1990) |
| Party |
| Armenia |
81 |
81 |
0% |
| Austria |
351 |
159 |
-55% |
| Belarus |
533 |
309 |
-42% |
| Belgium |
324 |
144 |
-56% |
| Bulgaria |
217 |
185 |
-15% |
| Croatia |
105 |
90 |
-14% |
| Czech Republic |
435 |
220 |
-49% |
| Denmark |
178 |
85 |
-52% |
| Finland |
209 |
130 |
-38% |
| France |
2957 |
1100 |
-63% |
| Germany |
3195 |
995 |
-69% |
| Greece |
373 |
261 |
-30% |
| Hungary |
205 |
137 |
-33% |
| Ireland |
197 |
55 |
-72% |
| Italy |
2213 |
1159 |
-48% |
| Latvia |
152 |
136 |
-11% |
| Liechtenstein |
1.56 |
0.86 |
-45% |
| Lithuania |
103 |
92 |
-11% |
| Luxembourg |
20 |
9 |
-55% |
| Netherlands |
502 |
191 |
-62% |
| Norway |
310 |
195 |
-37% |
| Poland |
831 |
800 |
-4% |
| Portugal |
640 |
202 |
-68% |
| Republic of Moldova |
157 |
100 |
-36% |
| Romania |
616 |
523 |
-15% |
| Russian Federation a/ |
3566 |
|
|
| PEMA b/ |
203 |
165 |
-19% |
| Slovakia |
149 |
140 |
-6% |
| Slovenia |
42 |
40 |
-5% |
| Spain a/ |
1094 |
669 |
-39% |
| Sweden |
526 |
241 |
-54% |
| Switzerland |
292 |
144 |
-51% |
| Ukraine |
1369 |
797 |
-42% |
| United Kingdom |
2555 |
1200 |
-53% |
| European Community |
15353 |
6600 |
-57% |
a/ Figures apply to the European part within the
EMEP area.
b/ Pollutant emissions management area.