Introduction to the Lecture

Recognizing that damages to ecosystems observed in the 1960’s were also linked to emissions thousands kilometers away, 32 European countries signed in 1979 the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution, creating the first international treaty to deal with air pollution on a broad regional basis. The Convention has created the essential framework for controlling and reducing the damage to human health and the environment caused by transboundary air pollution. It is a successful example of what can be achieved through intergovernmental cooperation. Important for the success of the Convention in air pollution abatement was its solid scientific underpinning. In addition, the Convention has provided a platform for scientists and policymakers to exchange information, which has led to innovative approaches creating mutual trust and learning. Science has supported the development and evaluation of several Protocols to the Convention, helping to recognize that substance-by-substance approach is less efficient and applied integrated assessment models to guide the discussion towards a so-called multi-pollutant-multi-effect approach. This approach was used for the Gothenburg Protocol to abate acidification, eutrophication and ground-level ozone. In December 2023, Executive Body of the Convention has decided to revise the Protocol setting new targets and seek a new policy commitment and agreement by 2026. The science community, supporting the Convention, has already started work on developing scenarios and providing initial assessment of feasibility of reaching new ambitious targets, also taking into account various equity considerations and flexibilities needed to enable engagement and commitment of Parties across the whole UNECE ECE region, spanning from North America, Europe, and Central Asia. The talk will briefly address role of scientific tools in policy support within the Convention and share latest results and identified challenges during ongoing modelling work supporting revision of Gothenburg Protocol.

Profile of the Speaker

Zbigniew Klimont is a Research Group Leader of the Pollution Management group in the Energy, Climate and Environment program at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Austria. He has been working several decades on the development and assessment of regional and global emissions of air pollutants and their mid-term scenarios, including mitigation costs and various co-benefits. Since few years he has been leading the team developing the integrated assessment model GAINS and coordinated its application in support of air quality and climate policies in the EU, UNECE (Air Convention) as well as supporting discussion of air quality policies at regional and city level in Asia.