Over the past year, AirClim has been forced to make difficult organisational decisions. We have reduced our staff from four to two and closed our office in Gothenburg.
For those working to protect health and the environment, the flow of bad news has become relentless. The European Commission has launched a series of so-called omnibus packages that has weakened hard-won environmental legislation in the name of “simplification”. So far, air pollution policy has largely avoided the worst impacts – but this is no reason for complacency. The climate summit in Belém once again failed to deliver outcomes commensurate with the scale of the climate crisis. At the same time, wars and conflicts continue to dominate the global agenda..
Against this backdrop, it is essential to identify where progress is still possible.
Much environmental legislation is already in place. What is too often missing is proper implementation. Strategic litigation has proven to be a powerful tool in holding authorities accountable. In this issue, we report on a court ruling against the city of Rome, which will be required to compensate residents after failing to protect them from persistently high levels of air pollution.
The revision of the Gothenburg Protocol is now underway. Most Parties agree that methane and black carbon must be addressed – a missed opportunity in the previous revision. Whether this process delivers meaningful ambition will depend on political will. The potential gains for health, ecosystems and climate are substantial.
The announcement in Belém of an International Conference on the Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels offers a rare positive signal. As traditional negotiating tracks continue to underperform, alternative political spaces may be necessary to unlock progress.
From 2026, we aim to publish a digital newsletter on a more regular basis. We welcome your views on what content best supports your work.
We wish all our readers a restful winter break – and look forward to continuing the fight for clean air and climate protection in the year ahead.
