Temporal and spatal differences in air polluton and climate change issues
Air polluton is a short-term problem and a localized problem. Different air pollutants have different
impacts. In contrast, greenhouse gas emissions are a medium-to-long-term problem and a global problem. It Is not the individual impact of a certain greenhouse gas but the combined effect of various greenhouse gases.
To be honest and objective, global action on air pollution is insufficient: many countries do not have ambient air quality standards; among countries that have ambient air quality standards, not all of them cover the six most harmful pollutants (carbon monoxide, ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, lead); even if all six pollutants are covered, the national ambient air quality standards still fall short of the standards recommended by the World Health Organization.
from the 1992 Framework Convention on Climate Change to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol to the 2015 Paris Agreement, political action programs and agreements have been made, in terms of climate change. However, the corresponding financial support is still limited. Facing this global mid- and long-term problem, the IPCC 1.5 degree special report pointed out that the goal of zero emissions in the middle of the century is not impossible to achieve, but unprecedented changes in energy, industry, agriculture, and urban construction are required.
Benefits of Coordinated Control of Air Pollution and Climate
change
Although the issues of air pollution and climate change are treated in isolation on many occasions, they are actually closely related. Air pollutants and greenhouse gases come from the same source: energy activities, industrial processes, agricultural activities, waste, etc. At the same time, the complex atmospheric chemical environment and air pollution will have a corresponding impact on climate change: for example, nitrogen oxides, ammonia, sulfur dioxide, etc., are all precursors of aerosols, which have a cooling effect; black carbon and other substances produced by incomplete combustion. It has a warming effect; tropospheric ozone with nitrogen oxides, volatile organic carbon, carbon monoxide, and methane as precursors has a warming effect and so on. On the other hand, climate change will also affect air quality: For example, changes in atmospheric chemistry caused by rising temperatures will affect the ozone formation. There will be more hot summers and longer ozone seasons in the future.
Facing these two homologous problems, we now need to find a synergistic effect, hoping to solve the problem by killing two birds with one stone. But the synergies mentioned here are not so simple in France. For example, some cars on the road burn diesel, and the energy efficiency of diesel cars is higher. However, it has a negative effect on air quality. The desulfurization facilities of thermal power plants consume about 2% of the electricity they produce, pushing up greenhouse gas emissions. Simultaneously, the recovery of sulfur dioxide weakens the cooling effect, further promoting climate warming.
However, many ways exist to achieve a win-win outcome, such as saving energy, reducing waste generation, improving energy efficiency, behavioral changes (carpooling, public transportation), etc.
France's Experience
France's experience is reflected in the synergy of policies at four geographic scales when addressing the two problems of air pollution and climate change. In 2015, France released the Green Development Energy Transition Guidance Program, which is coordinated with the national low-carbon strategy and air pollutant emission reduction program. At the same time, this national program also echoes the requirements of international conventions and EU standards. Under the national policy is the regional policy. In the process of formulating the regional policy, decision makers will consider the low-carbon strategy and air pollutant emission reduction plan at the national level, and incorporate them into the formulation of the regional policy (SCRAE). The goals of SCRAE at the atmospheric region level are further decomposed at the local level, and energy, climate, and air issues are taken into consideration as a whole, and finally a local program (PCAET) is formed.
To achieve the goal of coordinated control, France established the Inter-Professional Air Pollution Technology Research Center (CITEPA), where I belong. This center is an inventory compilation and forecasting agency designated by the French government. It is also highly comprehensive on air pollution and climate change issues. An institutionalized organization: the research center compiles two inventories of greenhouse gases and air pollutants at the same time; the industry engineers working in the center are both pollutant experts and greenhouse gas experts; using the RISQ reporting system, the MRV process of air pollutants and greenhouse gases has also reached a high degree of coordination.
About the Author
Gérôme Boutant, a French agronomic engineer and international consultant, holds a master's degree in economics. He is an expert on climate change/pollution policy and measures (adaptation and mitigation). He is a member of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change's Advisory Group of Experts.
Gérôme Boutand, who has worked in private companies in France, the UK, and the US in applied research, technology transfer, and decision-making processes, joined the French Ministry of the Environment (METS) operator CITEPA (Center of Expertise in Atmospheric Pollution and Climate Change) in 2011, as Director-General responsible for the preparation of the French National Emissions Inventory.
