PM2.5 levels in Bejing have decreased by 36% in just five years. Photo: © Tom Wang / Shutterstock.com

Cleaner air in Beijing and London

It is no longer news that urban residents around the world are breathing unhealthy levels of pollution. But there are differences in pollution distributions. PM_2.5 pollution tends to be highest in low- and middleincome countries, whereas NO₂ levels are high across countries at all income levels. The good news is that interventions targeting pollution at the local scale have proven to successfully improve air quality in some cities. For example, Beijing, China, reduced its PM_2.5 levels by 36% in just five years thanks to limits on power plants and industrial emissions along with new fuel quality and emission standards for vehicles. London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone initiative delivered a NO₂reduction of 36% in the first six months after its launch in 2019. Hopefully this is just the start, as mayors in more than 45 cities around the world have made a commitment to provide healthy air for everyone and implement substantive clean air policies by 2025.

Source: State of the Global Air 2020, https://www.stateofglobalair.org/

Air pollutionAir qualityChinaUK

In this issue

EU must step up energy shift

Paris Agreement compatible scenarios need the EU to do much more to reduce emissions and increase renewables and energy savings.

Editorial: The EU can and must take stronger climate action

With the sustained heat, drought and forest fires that are wreaking havoc across Europe, one would think European countries would be incentivised to increase action to tackle climate change.

Keys to meet the 1.5°C target

Climate Action Network International (CAN) has issued several statements and articles in 2022 outlining how the UN should act on science policy in reviewing the long-term goal of the Climate Convention at COP 27.

European Union prepares for winter

In September, the European Parliament voted on several proposals to address the energy crisis. Meanwhile the EU Commission proposed a new law to manage energy prices.

Scientists agree: 100% renewable energy is possible

An increasing number of research studies show that an energy system based solely on renewable energy sources is possible by or before 2050.

Corporate leadership? Few businesses pledge to reduce their flying

Whilst corporate leaders pledge to reduce the climate impact of their businesses, too few go the extra mile and tackle the problem of air travel emissions.

Denmark aims to build world’s first energy island

An artificial island, with wind power and installations to convert excess energy into fuel, is planned in the North Sea. When completed it may provide electricity for 10 million households.

Member states are struggling to meet NEC directive

In 2020, less than half of member states met all their national emission reduction commitments. Only two of them are already in line with their 2030 commitments.

Improve communication on air quality research

More than half of Europeans do not feel well informed about their local air quality, according to a 2019 EU Commission survey.

Condensable aerosols contribute to inconsistent reporting

Condensable primary organic aerosol emissions, described from here on as condensables, are organic compounds that occur in the gas (vapour) phase at the chimney stack, but as the stack air is cooled and diluted, they can undergo both condensation and evaporation processes.

Wind technologies for cleaner shipping

A large ongoing EU project demonstrates that the expansion of direct wind propulsion technologies for ships will be an important and impactful step towards cleaner shipping.

Towards a Latin American agenda for a just socio-ecological transition

Climate Action Network Latin America hosted a series of regional dialogues during 2021 on how to jointly advance the climate, biodiversity and human rights agendas.

Ireland intends to cut farm emissions by a quarter by 2030

Greenhouse gas emissions from Ireland’s farming sector must drop by 25 per cent by 2030.

Navigating nitrogen

“The less fossil-fuel-based fertilisers we use, the less dependent we are on fossil fuel imports, ”Ursula von der Leyen stated in a response to one of the group leaders’ interventions just after her “State of the European Union” speech in the European Parliament on 14 September 2022.¹

How iron and steel emissions can be cut

The huge emissions from the steel industry can be virtually eliminated by using hydrogen from green power, or from other electric processes. CCS is not used, not needed and not likely to be a mitigation option.

Particles from electric vehicles

Electric cars cause more wear and tear on road and tyres due to the extra weight of the battery. Nevertheless they have lower net particle emissions than normal cars.

Climate change is everywhere – so is marine litter

As heavy rains and storms become more frequent more litter will be transported to the sea. Marine litter is projected to triple by 2040.

Failure or success of air pollution policies in Delhi?

The severe air pollution events in Delhi due to sharp economic and population growth have been widely reported.

Call for loss and damage and climate finance

The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) is urging support for the adoption of loss and damage response finance at COP27 in Egypt in November 2022.

Main menu

Cleaner air in Beijing and London

In this issue

EU must step up energy shift

Editorial: The EU can and must take stronger climate action

Keys to meet the 1.5°C target

European Union prepares for winter

Scientists agree: 100% renewable energy is possible

Corporate leadership? Few businesses pledge to reduce their flying

Denmark aims to build world’s first energy island

Member states are struggling to meet NEC directive

Improve communication on air quality research

Condensable aerosols contribute to inconsistent reporting

Wind technologies for cleaner shipping

Towards a Latin American agenda for a just socio-ecological transition

Ireland intends to cut farm emissions by a quarter by 2030

Navigating nitrogen

How iron and steel emissions can be cut

Particles from electric vehicles

Climate change is everywhere – so is marine litter

Failure or success of air pollution policies in Delhi?

Call for loss and damage and climate finance

Publications

Food for Thought

Northern forests, climate change and the UNFCCC

EU climate targets aligned with the Paris agreement’s 1.5°C objective

Baltic Sea Offshore Wind Collaborative-Learning project

Air pollution in Europe and children’s health

Climate Change: A Himalayan Odessey

No further discussion needed. The agreed global goal is to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C

Fossil-free electricity 2021

What we do

Air pollution

Climate Change

Policy initiatives

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