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Hemispheric Transport of Air Pollution

The Task Force on Hemispheric Transport of Air Pollution was established by the Executive Body in December 2004. Its mandate was revised in 2019. The Task Force examines the transport of air pollution across the Northern hemisphere and its regional impacts, considering air quality, health, ecosystem and near-term climate effects. Particularly, it examines:

(i)    The impact of air pollutant emissions from the Parties on human health, ecosystems and climate change outside the ECE (i.e. extraregional impacts);
(ii)    The impact of air pollutant emissions sources outside the ECE on the achievement of the environmental objectives of the Convention and its Protocols (i.e. extraregional influences);
(iii)    The impacts of emission-reduction opportunities in the ECE region on regional and intercontinental transport of air pollution and the associated air quality, health, ecosystem and near-term climate effects of such impacts and the impacts of complementary measures that might be taken in other regions where mitigation may prove cost-effective.
 
The Task Force is led by the United States and Canada. It is composed of experts from Parties to the Convention. Individuals with relevant expertise and experts from non-Convention countries in the northern hemisphere may also be invited to participate in the work of the Task Force. For the terms of reference of the Task Force, see the revised mandate in EB decision 2019/9.