in one form or another. These have either been covered in National Conservation
Strategies (NCS), National Environmental Action Plans (NEAPs) and/or a new
generation of environmental laws. While the necessary laws and policies may be
in place, their implementation is lacking, with the result that there is little or no
regulation of air pollution sources.
The majority of SADC countries have ratified both the 1987 Montreal
Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and the 1992 Framework
Convention on Climate Change. While this shows the commitment by SADC
countries to global issues, the immediate problems of air pollution do not seem to
have had similar attention. Action plans exist for the phase-out of ozone-depleting
substances and reduction of greenhouse gases but no such plans exist for air
pollution in general.
Latin America. Air pollution problems in Latin America are not as widespread
as in Asia and, as a consequence, are not as high on political agendas, except in the
‘megacities’. Some of these cities are amongst the most polluted in the World. In
urban environments air pollution has been considered a serious problem for
many years and emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, ammonium and,
in particular, concentrations of tropospheric ozone, have been increasing over
the last few decades. Only when large point sources of pollution, such as power
stations, are situated near national boundaries does the pollution result in a
transboundary problem. However, as emissions increase the problem will
become increasingly regional.
The air pollution issue has been addressed at the local scale in cities, such as
Mexico City, where certain air pollution control measures have been implemented
imposing restricted use of motor vehicles, temporary closure of industries and
policies to move industries away from cities. Until recently, regional initiatives in
South America have been limited to activities associated with the climate change
debate and the Kyoto Protocol, but there are now activities occurring with
regard to regional air pollution.
In South America, the countries of the MERCOSUR Free Trade Agreement
(Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay) regard air pollution not as a
transboundary problem, but more as a shared problem in the region. The focus
is more on trade issues and on the harmonization of legal frameworks to ensure
that there is a level playing field for industry with respect to environmental
regulations.
H. Rodhe, E. Cowling, I. Galbally, J. Galloway and R. Herrera, Acidification and regional air
pollution in the tropics, in H. Rodhe and R. Herrera, eds., Acidification in Tropical Countries,
SCOPE 36. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, 1988.
E. Sanhueza, Deposition in South and Central America, in Global Acid Deposition Assessment,
D. M. Whelpdale and M. S. Kaiser, eds., WMO, Global Atmospheric Watch Publ. No. 106, 1997,
Ch. 9, pp. 135—144.
W. K. Hicks, J. C. I. Kuylenstierna, V. Mathur, S. Mazzucchelli, M. Iyngararasan, S. Shrestha and
A. M. van Tienhoven, Development of the regional policy process for air pollution in Asia, Africa
and Latin America, in Air Pollution and the Forests of Developing and Rapidly Industrializing
Countries, eds. J. L. Innes and A. H. Haron, No. 5 in the IUFRO Research Series, 2000.
J. C. I. Kuylenstierna, W. K. Hicks and M. J. Chadwick
52
Strategies (NCS), National Environmental Action Plans (NEAPs) and/or a new
generation of environmental laws. While the necessary laws and policies may be
in place, their implementation is lacking, with the result that there is little or no
regulation of air pollution sources.
The majority of SADC countries have ratified both the 1987 Montreal
Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and the 1992 Framework
Convention on Climate Change. While this shows the commitment by SADC
countries to global issues, the immediate problems of air pollution do not seem to
have had similar attention. Action plans exist for the phase-out of ozone-depleting
substances and reduction of greenhouse gases but no such plans exist for air
pollution in general.
Latin America. Air pollution problems in Latin America are not as widespread
as in Asia and, as a consequence, are not as high on political agendas, except in the
‘megacities’. Some of these cities are amongst the most polluted in the World. In
urban environments air pollution has been considered a serious problem for
many years and emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, ammonium and,
in particular, concentrations of tropospheric ozone, have been increasing over
the last few decades. Only when large point sources of pollution, such as power
stations, are situated near national boundaries does the pollution result in a
transboundary problem. However, as emissions increase the problem will
become increasingly regional.
The air pollution issue has been addressed at the local scale in cities, such as
Mexico City, where certain air pollution control measures have been implemented
imposing restricted use of motor vehicles, temporary closure of industries and
policies to move industries away from cities. Until recently, regional initiatives in
South America have been limited to activities associated with the climate change
debate and the Kyoto Protocol, but there are now activities occurring with
regard to regional air pollution.
In South America, the countries of the MERCOSUR Free Trade Agreement
(Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay) regard air pollution not as a
transboundary problem, but more as a shared problem in the region. The focus
is more on trade issues and on the harmonization of legal frameworks to ensure
that there is a level playing field for industry with respect to environmental
regulations.
H. Rodhe, E. Cowling, I. Galbally, J. Galloway and R. Herrera, Acidification and regional air
pollution in the tropics, in H. Rodhe and R. Herrera, eds., Acidification in Tropical Countries,
SCOPE 36. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, 1988.
E. Sanhueza, Deposition in South and Central America, in Global Acid Deposition Assessment,
D. M. Whelpdale and M. S. Kaiser, eds., WMO, Global Atmospheric Watch Publ. No. 106, 1997,
Ch. 9, pp. 135—144.
W. K. Hicks, J. C. I. Kuylenstierna, V. Mathur, S. Mazzucchelli, M. Iyngararasan, S. Shrestha and
A. M. van Tienhoven, Development of the regional policy process for air pollution in Asia, Africa
and Latin America, in Air Pollution and the Forests of Developing and Rapidly Industrializing
Countries, eds. J. L. Innes and A. H. Haron, No. 5 in the IUFRO Research Series, 2000.
J. C. I. Kuylenstierna, W. K. Hicks and M. J. Chadwick
52