Science

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Science Politics of Intercontinental Transport
of Air Pollutants Toward a Law of the
Atmosphere?
Ken Wilkening Guest Lecture ENSC 412 -- Air
Pollution 3 April 2009
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Lecture Outline
InterContinental Transport of air pollution
(ICT) globalization of air pollution
globalization of air pollution gt globalization
of AQ management?
ICT ethics, knowledge, action
Conclusion ICT is pushing us to rethink global
governance of the atmosphere (toward a Law of
the Atmosphere?)
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Globalization of Air Pollution

• ICT is a new air pollution problem
• new because it is the global expansion of
  old problems.
• globalization of air pollution
• ICT flow of air pollutants from a source
  continent to a receptor continent, and/or
  long-range transport within a continent.
• trans-Pacific
• trans-Atlantic
• trans-Eurasia
• Arctic
• monsoon winds of South Asia
• and other locations.
• Atmospheric lifetimes days to 1 year
• Pollutants fine PM, acidic substances,
  tropospheric 03, POPs, Hg
• Alternate Labels
• hemispheric transport of air pollutants (HTAP),
  global air pollution (GAP), global air quality
  (GAQ)
• ICT completes the continuum of air pollution
  problems...

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Continuum of Air Pollution Problems
global
Air pollution goes global
regional
national
local
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Central Question
Will GLOBALIZATION OF AIR POLLUTION
GLOBALIZATION OF AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT
?
Law of the Atmosphere (LoA)

• 1988 Toronto Conference on the changing
  atmosphere
• 1989 Ottawa Meeting of Legal and Policy Experts
• Developed a draft LoA
• Didnt happen. Why?
• Mostafa Tolba (former Executive-Director of
  UNEP), 1989
• Takes too long to negotiate a LoA
• Separate and specific agreements better
• Range of threats too diverse in space, time,
  quality
• Issues too ill-defined and un-quantified
• Bad experience with Law of Sea
• Step-by-step approach best now, but may change in
  future.
• Does growing awareness of ICT / HTAP / GAP change
  the situation?

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ICTs Negative Consequences

• episodes (eg, trans-Atlantic dust to Caribbean as
  cause of increase in asthma-related hospital
  visits)
• rising O3 background in N hemisphere
• rising fine PM in upper atmosphere
• SERIOUS IMPACTS NOT YET DOCUMENTED !

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Atmosphere as Natural-Social System
global / universal ethics
ethics
Earth system science
global environmental governance
knowledge
action
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Atmospheric Ethics System

• Main principles included in atmospheric MEAs

ICT issue of large-scale source-receptor
relationship

• Missing
• Principle that sets a global foundation for
  regulation
• common heritage of humankind (owner is all
  humans)
• right to clean air (state duty to all individuals
  inside outside borders)
• ICT increasing pressure to redefine global
  atmospheric ethics.

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Atmospheric Knowledge System
Global

• IGACO
• (Integrated Global Atmospheric Chemistry
  Observations)
• similar to meteorological system developed since
  1873
• motivations for IGACO
• evidence from many ground, aircraft, satellite
  programs
• O3 increase in N hemisphere background
• long-range transport of air pollution to remote
  regions

no assessment function
Multiple ground, aircraft, satellite
programs GAW (gnd), MOZAIC (air), TOMS
(satellite)
Regional
EMEP, EANET
CAPMoN
ICT increasing pressure to develop global
atmospheric science system.
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Atmospheric Governing System

• How is the world organized to govern the
  atmosphere?

No ICT / HTAP treaty

• Present system
• many regions not covered
• many pollutants not covered (eg, Hg)
• enforcement weak
• not well integrated across scales

ICT increasing pressure to develop global
atmospheric governing system.
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Current Global Atmospheric Governing System
Global
X
Regional
Inter-regional dialogue
APINA (Africa) Clean Air Initiative - Latin
America Malé Declaration (S Asia) Etc.
National
Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999
Provincial
Local
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Future Global Atmospheric Governing System
Global
World Environment Organization (WEO)
Global Atmospheric Council Law of the Atmosphere
LRTAP Canada-US Air Quality Accord ASEAN Haze
Agreement Clean Air Initiative Asia Etc.
Regional
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Conclusion ICT ? LoA

• ethics
• further develop ethical/value system related to
  the atmosphere
• knowledge
• harmonize scientific data-gathering, analysis,
  and archiving
• assess between multiple issues on multiple scales
• eg, air pollution and climate change
• action
• take advantage of air pollution / climate change
  co-benefits
• rethink local/regional AQ management
• tightening vise of air pollution management
• increase global dialogue
• Global Atmospheric Pollution Forum

Financial Crisis Global regulation of financial
institutions.
Now is time to develop options for global
atmospheric governance.
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THANK YOU!