United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution

The Air Convention under the United Nations Economic Commission to Europe (UNECE) includes parties from Europe and North America to develop policies and strategies to cut emissions of air pollutants. Among its different processes are negotiations related to its Gothenburg Protocol to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication and Ground-level Ozone. The Gothenburg Protocol, as amended in 2012, calls for Parties to voluntarily submit black carbon emissions inventories and projections using guidelines developed by its Task Force on Emission Inventories and Projections. The Gothenburg Protocol also includes attention to small particles, so-called PM2.5 (particulate matter of size 2.5 micrometres). Because black carbon occurs as very small particles and is part of PM 2.5, efforts to reduce PM2.5 would also reduce emissions of black carbon.

The Air Convention under the United Nations Economic Commission to Europe (UNECE) includes parties from Europe and North America to develop policies and strategies to cut emissions of air pollutants. Among its different processes are negotiations related to its Gothenburg Protocol to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication and Ground-level Ozone. The Gothenburg Protocol, as amended in 2012, calls for Parties to voluntarily submit black carbon emissions inventories and projections using guidelines developed by its Task Force on Emission Inventories and Projections. The Gothenburg Protocol also includes attention to small particles, so-called PM2.5 (particulate matter of size 2.5 micrometres). Because black carbon occurs as very small particles and is part of PM 2.5, efforts to reduce PM2.5 would also reduce emissions of black carbon.

An important aim of the EUA-BCA is to support policy action under the Air Convention and to provide data for emission inventories and scenarios and monitoring. The amended Gothenburg Protocol is currently undergoing a review and the EUA-BCA submitted documents documents in support of black carbon emission reductions for consideration by the Convention’s Working Group on Strategies and Review (WGSR). The WGSR evaluates scientific and technical activities relating to the Air Convention protocols, negotiates amendments and drafts new protocols, promotes technology exchange, and drafts proposals for strategic development in the framework of the UNECE Air Convention. Members from the EU funded Action on Black Carbon are involved in the work of the WGSR and also engage in the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP), which is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the long-range transport of air pollutants with the aid of emission inventories, measurements and model calculations, and the CLRTAP Working Group on Effects (WGE).

In December 2019, on the occasion of the Air Convention’s 40th Anniversary, the parties to the convention launched a forum for international cooperation on air pollution to support international exchange of information and mutual learning on both the technical and policy levels. It is intended to be a repository for technical information and a convener of countries and organizations, facilitating increased international cooperation on this critical challenge. The EU funded Action was invited to organize a side-event at this meeting titled: “Eye on Black Carbon in the Arctic” to engage with parties to the Air Convention to raise the profile to take further policy actions on black carbon. The event was well attended with many excellent recommendations given which will be helpful in preparing the roadmap.