{"id":3372,"date":"2017-02-08T10:33:28","date_gmt":"2017-02-08T09:33:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ar16.iiasa.ac.at\/?p=3372"},"modified":"2017-05-10T13:38:01","modified_gmt":"2017-05-10T11:38:01","slug":"air-pollution-and-climate-policies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ar16.iiasa.ac.at\/air-pollution-and-climate-policies\/","title":{"rendered":"Reaping the co-benefits of air pollution and climate policies"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Section” fullwidth=”on” specialty=”off”][et_pb_fullwidth_post_title admin_label=”Reaping the co-benefits of air pollution and climate policies” title=”on” meta=”off” author=”on” date=”on” categories=”on” comments=”on” featured_image=”on” featured_placement=”background” parallax_effect=”off” parallax_method=”on” text_orientation=”center” text_color=”dark” text_background=”on” text_bg_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.73)” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” custom_css_main_element=”padding-bottom: 10px;” custom_padding=”15%||3%|” \/][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Section” fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” transparent_background=”off” background_color=”#d4e6fc” allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”TEASER” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n

For more than a decade, the IIASA Air Quality and Greenhouse Gases Program (AIR) has pioneered the analysis of the co-benefits of climate policies on local air quality and human health. Continuing this work in 2016, the program has fostered close collaborations with the energy research community, demonstrating that many solutions to reducing emissions and improving health lie within the energy sector.<\/strong><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” transparent_background=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text admin_label=”BODY” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n

Air quality and climate policies can provide substantial mutual benefits: climate change mitigation actions can help reduce air pollution, and clean air measures can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n

In 2016, a collaborative project using the Integrated Model to Assess the Global Environment confirmed that, because of the overlap between greenhouse gas and air pollutant emission sources, climate mitigation policies have the highest impact on emissions of sulfur dioxide\u00a0and nitrogen oxides, while their impact on black carbon (soot) and organic carbon emissions is relatively low. At the global scale, climate policy can have important co-benefits; a 10% decrease in global CO2<\/sub>\u00a0emissions by 2100 leads to a decrease of emissions of sulfur dioxide\u00a0and nitrogen oxides by about 10% and 5% respectively, compared to 2005 levels [1].<\/p>\n

Energy production is, of course, central to both climate change and air pollution issues, and AIR has recently been working with the institute\u2019s Energy Program, as well as a number of external energy modeling groups. The researchers explored various pollution control policies, complemented by climate mitigation policies that foster technology and fuel transformations in energy systems.<\/p>\n

The results showed that a combination of stringent air pollution policies and climate change mitigation could provide clean air to about 60% of the world\u2019s population, with the largest improvements in India, China, and the Middle East. The study reinforces the importance of integrated policies that address multiple sectors in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals [2].<\/p>\n

The critical role of policy decisions in the energy sector to securing clean air was also the topic of a study undertaken with the International Energy Agency [3]. Many solutions to reducing emissions and improving health and living conditions lie within the energy sector, the study confirmed. However, aging and urbanization will counteract the health benefits of policy measures, and even tighter measures will be needed if the aim is to reduce the total health burden in future.<\/p>\n

While recognizing that non-energy related sources make substantial contributions to air pollution, especially in developing Asia, the study demonstrated that a comprehensive \u2018Clean Air\u2019 approach, building on proven measures and policies, offers a cost-effective way for the energy sector to reduce health impacts from air pollution.<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Figure 1″ src=”http:\/\/ar16.iiasa.ac.at\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/02\/Reaping-new_Fig-1.jpg” title_text=”CLICK TO ENLARGE” show_in_lightbox=”on” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” animation=”right” sticky=”off” align=”left” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” \/][et_pb_image admin_label=”Figure 2″ src=”http:\/\/ar16.iiasa.ac.at\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/02\/Reaping-new_Fig-2.jpg” title_text=”CLICK TO ENLARGE” show_in_lightbox=”on” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” animation=”right” sticky=”off” align=”left” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” \/][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n

Although effective implementation of air pollution control strategies will reduce population exposure to harmful pollution (upper panel), the actual health benefits will be counteracted by the aging of societies, because the elderly are more sensitive to air pollution. Source: IEA 2016<\/em><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Section” fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” transparent_background=”off” background_color=”rgba(12,113,195,0.16)” allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” use_custom_gutter=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” make_equal=”off” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”off” custom_width_px=”1220px” parallax_2=”off” parallax_method_2=”off”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text admin_label=”References” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n

References<\/h3>\n

[1] Radu OB, van den Berg M, Klimont Z, Deetman S, Janssens-Maenhout G, Muntean M, Heyes C, Dentener F, et al. (2016). Exploring synergies between climate and air quality policies using long-term global and regional emission scenarios<\/a>. Atmospheric Environment<\/em> 140: 577-591.
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[2] Rao S, Klimont Z, Leitao J, Riahi K, van Dingenen Rita, Reis LA, Calvin K, Dentener F, et al. (2016). A multi-model assessment of the co-benefits of climate mitigation for global air quality<\/a>. Environmental Research Letters<\/em> 11 (12): e124013.
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[3] OECD IEA IIASA (2016). Energy and Air Pollution: World Energy Outlook Special Report 2016<\/em><\/a>. International Energy Agency, Paris, France. [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_button admin_label=”Button” button_url=”http:\/\/ar16.iiasa.ac.at\/air\/” url_new_window=”off” button_text=”Air Quality and Greenhouse Gases Program” button_alignment=”left” background_layout=”dark” custom_button=”on” button_text_size=”15″ button_bg_color=”#006ac1″ button_border_width=”0″ button_border_radius=”20″ button_letter_spacing=”0″ button_use_icon=”on” button_icon=”%%67%%” button_icon_color=”#ffffff” button_icon_placement=”left” button_on_hover=”on” button_border_color_hover=”#5590c1″ button_border_radius_hover=”20″ button_letter_spacing_hover=”0″ \/][et_pb_text admin_label=”Collaborators” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n

Collaborators<\/h3>\n