24 November 2009: On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution, climate change has been identified as an emerging issue for the Convention.Recognizing that greenhouse gases and air pollutants have largely the same source and their effects can be closely linked, the Convention’s future challenge will be to make progress in maximizing the benefits to be gained from policies to address both climate change and damage from air pollution. To that end, the Convention has started a dialogue with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and relevant international agreements – such as the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants and the future mercury convention – to further explore links with climate change and possible solutions.
The Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution was signed in 1979 under the auspices of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), and entered into force in 1983. Fifty-one of UNECE’s 56 member States are parties. It is complemented by eight protocols, setting strict reduction targets for the release of sulfur, nitrogen oxide, persistent organic pollutants, volatile organic compounds, ammonia, and toxic heavy metals. [UNECE Press Release]