relatively weak (many signatory countries are not obliged to take any more
action than what has already been anticipated) their many benefits, some of
which are often overlooked, can be summed up as follows:
E Even seemingly weak demands entail that the more reticent countries take
some action that otherwise would not have been taken;
E The preparations for negotiations involve the international exchange of
large amounts of information, as well as interaction between national
experts, scientists and policy-makers;
E The process of elaborating international agreements entails the generation
of new data which can then be used to increase public awareness and
opinion, both nationally and internationally;
E The negotiations attract media attention which helps to raise the profile of
the problem and in turn generates public awareness and knowledge.
Disadvantages can be that extensive and time-consuming research activities and
the potentially lengthy negotiation procedures (e.g. the ratification process) can
be used as an excuse for not taking action. However, the activities underpinning
negotiation may directly or indirectly impact significantly on national decisionmaking when it comes to taking measures for reducing or preventing emissions.
Indeed, the process of arriving at an agreement can be considered as contributing
as much, or more, to the protection of the environment, as the agreement itself.
In addition to binding MEAs, progress in environmental protection can be
promoted by the non-binding agreements, such as Local Agenda 21, and
environmental clauses or principles in wider agreements, such as regional trade
treaties.
The Status of Air Pollution Policy in Different Regions of the Globe
Europe. Excess deaths caused by urban smogs in the UK led to several policy
measures outlined in the Clean Air Acts of 1956 and 1968. Smokeless zones were
introduced and industry was moved away from urban centres and was required
to install taller stacks. The development of tall stacks and other measures in
Europe, coupled with the dramatic rate of industrialization and fossil fuel use,
caused the development of regional problems such as ecosystem acidification.
In the 1960s and 1970s it was realized that acidification was due, in part, to the
transboundary transfer of air pollution which entailed that individual countries
could not solve their problems alone. This, then, necessitated the development of
international agreements for co-ordinated emission control and eventually, in
1979, the international policy negotiations of the United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) led to the development of the Convention on
Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP). The LRTAP Convention
http://sres.ciesin.org
C. A gren, The European example of emission control, in Regional Air Pollution in Developing
Countries. Background Document for Policy Dialogue, Stockholm Environment Institute, York,
1998, pp. 119—126.
J. C. I. Kuylenstierna, W. K. Hicks and M. J. Chadwick
46
action than what has already been anticipated) their many benefits, some of
which are often overlooked, can be summed up as follows:
E Even seemingly weak demands entail that the more reticent countries take
some action that otherwise would not have been taken;
E The preparations for negotiations involve the international exchange of
large amounts of information, as well as interaction between national
experts, scientists and policy-makers;
E The process of elaborating international agreements entails the generation
of new data which can then be used to increase public awareness and
opinion, both nationally and internationally;
E The negotiations attract media attention which helps to raise the profile of
the problem and in turn generates public awareness and knowledge.
Disadvantages can be that extensive and time-consuming research activities and
the potentially lengthy negotiation procedures (e.g. the ratification process) can
be used as an excuse for not taking action. However, the activities underpinning
negotiation may directly or indirectly impact significantly on national decisionmaking when it comes to taking measures for reducing or preventing emissions.
Indeed, the process of arriving at an agreement can be considered as contributing
as much, or more, to the protection of the environment, as the agreement itself.
In addition to binding MEAs, progress in environmental protection can be
promoted by the non-binding agreements, such as Local Agenda 21, and
environmental clauses or principles in wider agreements, such as regional trade
treaties.
The Status of Air Pollution Policy in Different Regions of the Globe
Europe. Excess deaths caused by urban smogs in the UK led to several policy
measures outlined in the Clean Air Acts of 1956 and 1968. Smokeless zones were
introduced and industry was moved away from urban centres and was required
to install taller stacks. The development of tall stacks and other measures in
Europe, coupled with the dramatic rate of industrialization and fossil fuel use,
caused the development of regional problems such as ecosystem acidification.
In the 1960s and 1970s it was realized that acidification was due, in part, to the
transboundary transfer of air pollution which entailed that individual countries
could not solve their problems alone. This, then, necessitated the development of
international agreements for co-ordinated emission control and eventually, in
1979, the international policy negotiations of the United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) led to the development of the Convention on
Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP). The LRTAP Convention
http://sres.ciesin.org
C. A gren, The European example of emission control, in Regional Air Pollution in Developing
Countries. Background Document for Policy Dialogue, Stockholm Environment Institute, York,
1998, pp. 119—126.
J. C. I. Kuylenstierna, W. K. Hicks and M. J. Chadwick
46