TURNING VISION INTO ACTION

Cape Town Declaration defines Union’s priorities for next three years:

  1. working with partners, in particular the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) to mitigate the impact of short-lived climate pollutants on health, crops and climate
  2. promoting action on global nitrogen imbalances to protect ecosystems and enhance food security
  3. developing a stronger framework for international co-operation on air pollution.

 For the full text of the Declaration, click here….


IUAPPA Annual Conference

One Atmosphere: Making the Connections, 29 - 30 September 2011, Paris

In its Final Declaration, the XVth World Clean Air Congress held in Vancouver, September 2010, concluded that global environmental challenges had in recent years become steadily more severe and pressing, and that in three principle areas a paradigm shift in the approach to air quality policy and its relation to the wider global environment, was now necessary, urgent and achievable. It urged a new focus on the impacts of air pollution on the health of eco-systems and biodiversity; a new approach to climate change which, through integrating climate and air pollution policies, would complement the current focus on long-term abatement of CO2 with a wider initiative on other climate forcing gases - ozone, methane and black carbon - which could deliver both major health benefits and mitigate near-term climate change; and, underpinning these two, a new effort to strengthen the institutions and processes for international co-operation on air pollution.

Key Conference Themes:

  • Air Pollution and Climate Change – How can we link assessment, planning and policy at the local regional and international scales?
  • Bio-diversity, Eco-system Services and Crop Damage – how can we help mitigate damage from air pollution, and contribute to protection of biodiversity?
  • International Co-operation on air Pollution - How can we now build the hemispheric and global strategies now needed for Ozone, Methane and Black Carbon.

For full details and to register click here.

IUAPPA calls for ‘Paradigm Shifts’ in International Air Pollution Policy

Under the title ‘One Atmosphere’ the Final Declaration of the XVth World Clean Air Congress called for radical new directions in international air pollution policy to help tackle the multiple and inter-linked environmental challenges facing the world.

Fundamental to the new approach are three paradigm shifts in current policy priorities:

  • Reducing the impacts of air pollution on ecosystems and biodiversity - to reduce long-term damage to food security and ecosystem services on which the human race depends. Reducing direct human health impacts is important, but not enough.
  • Integrating climate and air pollution policies - Integrated strategies can reduce the long-term costs of achieving objectives in each area. Focussing on those air pollutants which also have short-term impacts on climate change, could both improve human health and buy time for long-term CO2 reduction strategies to have effect.
  • Strengthening co-operation on air pollution at regional, hemispheric and global scales - to reflect a sober recognition that individual states can no longer achieve their air quality objectives alone.

Commenting on the declaration, Richard Mills, Director General, said:

‘The Declaration is an agenda for changes in air pollution priorities which are necessary, urgent - and deliverable.

Within its own comfort zone, Air Pollution regulation has been one of the most effective areas of environment policy. But it is now failing to contribute adequately to the other major environmental challenges of the day: preserving ecosystems and biodiversity; contributing to mitigation of climate change, particularly in the short-term; and creating the effective regional, hemispheric and global frameworks for atmospheric policy without which states will be steadily less able to protect the health and well-being of their people.

Progress in these areas is now necessary, timely - and achievable’

For a copy of the Declaration click here.

2010 Vancouver Congress Seeks New Priorities For Air Pollution Policy

Under the title ‘One Atmosphere’ the Congress Declaration and Report will highlight the need for three paradigm shifts in Air and Environment policy:

  • Integrate climate change and air pollution strategies addressing air pollutants which are also climate change agents - black carbon, ozone and methane - could both slow climate change and deliver health benefits
  • Target air pollution policies to help struggle to protect eco-systems and biodiversity
  • Develop new framework to enhance international co-operation on air pollution in response to reports presented at the Congress showing the extent to which pollutants can be transported at hemispheric and global scales.

Links with Biodiversity emerge as major theme of the Congress

Message to Congress from Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biodiversity highlights need to forge new links between policies to abate air pollution and to protect ecosystems and biodiversity.

Click here for a copy of the Message.

Board Meeting

  • Strategy agreed to widen the membership base of the Union, allowing new categories of member
  • Next Congress to be in South Africa in 2013
  • Regional and specialist meetings agreed for France (2011), Brazil (2011) and Turkey (2012)
  • Continued support for work of Global Atmospheric Pollution Forum
  • Union elects first woman President - Hanlie Leibenberg-Enslin from South Africa
  • Jean-Marie Rambaud re-elected Treasurer
IUAPPA publishes second issue of World Congress Update
World Clean Air Congress, 12-16 September 2010, Vancouver
  • Congress Presentations to Preview Major International Reports
  • Spotlight: Co-Benefits of Integrated Climate and Air Pollution Strategies
  • Global Forum to Meet in Vancouver
  • Spotlight: Key Issues in Air Quality Regulation
  • Spotlight: Emergency Response to Climate-Related Natural Disasters
  • Spotlight: Greener Transport in a Post-Recession World

For your copy of the World Congress Update 2, click here.

IUAPPA publishes first issue of World Congress Update
World Clean Air Congress, 12-16 September 2010, Vancouver

This first issue highlights why attendance at the 15th World Clean Air Congress should not be missed and brings together some key congress issues:

  • After Copenhagen: Picking up the Pieces - Following the failure to deliver any significant progress what can be done to reduce air pollutants?
  • Food Security - Damage to crops from air pollutants will reduce crop yields
  • Global Imbalance in Air Pollution Problems and Abatement Capacity - Skills and resources for addressing air pollution remain concentrated where the problems are least; improving the balance should be a continuing priority.
  • Diffusion of Technology - How do we increase the speed of technological change?
  • Cost Effectiveness and Value for Money - Should we continue to focus on pollution ‘hotspots’ or are there wider policy issues?
  • Bio-Diversity - Air Quality is a major determinant of biodiversity and in this Year for Bio-Diversity we need to play our part.

For your copy of the World Congress Update 1, click here.

Copenhagen Climate Talks

It has been difficult to make out whether or not we made progress at the Copenhagen climate talks in December 2009. The 15th Conference of the Parties to the UN FCCC, certainly failed to match the scale of the climate challenge. The scientific consensus was and is that significant cuts in emission of greenhouse gases are required and that the longer the world community put off a decision, the greater the risk of dangerous climate change in future. However, there was a mountain to climb: although some parties had well prepared positions, it became clear that there were too many with extreme political difficulties.

The outcome is a rather mixed bag of good intentions recorded in the Copenhagen Accord, including provisions for each party to the FCCC to give either clear commitments to the reduction of greenhouse gases or a clear statement of measures to be taken, provisions for a US$30 billion fund to finance measures in those countries least able to afford them and provisions for improved measures to prevent deforestation and forest degradation.

However, it appears that the agreement has failed its first test as the deadline for submission of targets and measures, 31 January 2010, has been postponed.

For a more comprehensive report please see the February edition of the IUAPPA Newsletter. Click here for your copy.

IUAPPA International Board Meeting

The IUAPPA International Board met in conjunction with the 2009 Tunis  Regional Conference on Sunday 22 and Tuesday 24 November.

Board members heard from the IUAPPA President, Alan Gertler (AWMA), about the programme for the 2010 World Congress, which is to be held in Vancouver on 12 to 16 September. Visit www.iuappa2010.com for full details.

Progress reports were given on the Global Atmospheric Forum and on the Transport and Urban Air Quality Management Seminar series. Board members had a first sight of the new format for the website prior to its introduction and heard proposals for a possible new edition of the IUAPPA compendium of legislation and practice, Clean Air Around the World.

Encouraged by the Tunis Regional Conference, the Board agreed that Regional meetings were an excellent means of reaching out to new members and exploring topics that resonated on a regional level.

For further information please see the February edition of the IUAPPA Newsletter. Click here for your copy.

Better Air Quality in North Africa

November 2009 saw the IUAPPA Regional Conference on “Better Air Quality in North Africa”, organised by the Sahara and Sahel Observatory in Tunis. It was the first opportunity for IUAPPA and the Global Air Pollution Forum to meet with representatives from the North African countries to consider and discuss the issues raised by air pollution in the region and measures to deal with them.

Overall the participants, including delegations from all six North African Countries, many other parts of Africa and representatives from some eight international bodies, heard over 40 presentations during the three days of the Regional Conference. It was pleasing to see so many civil societies at the meeting, including the IUAPPA member organisation, Women for Sustainable Development.

For a full report see the February edition of the IUAPPA Newsletter. Click here for your copy.

 


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