Clean Air for All by 2030? Air Quality in the 2030 Agenda and in International Law

Lode, Birgit; Schönberger, Philipp; Toussaint, P.

doi:10.1111/reel.12151

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…One of the main goals created by this group was to adequately address air pollution and emphasize the detrimental effect on human health. 59 The current seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) do not have an individual goal for air standards or air pollution. So, this 2030 Agenda was put forth to create a global air quality standard by focusing on international law about the atmosphere and global air pollution.…”

Section: Addressing Issues Regarding Outdoor Air Pollutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The long term effects of outdoor air pollution in urban environments on cardiovascular health: a global review

Kraus

Murphy

2021

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The effect of air pollution on health is listed as a significant cause of death worldwide. Slightly over 3 million deaths per year are due to outdoor air pollution. Studies have shown that short term increases in exposure to particulate matter have increased the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction, stroke, and heart failure. However, less is known about the longer term effects of air pollution on various cardiovascular diseases. The American Heart Association formally recognized PM2.5 as a significant cardiovascular risk factor in 2010. Since then, more prolonged term exposure to air pollution has been suggested to cause chronic cardiometabolic and cardiovascular problems. The effects of long term (>3 years) air pollution are significant, but not as much is known about how location affects this exposure. Associations with cardiovascular diseases and their risk factors are often increased in urban settings, which is attributed to a higher concentrations of outdoor air pollution, independent of ethnic groups and seasonal changes. Potential causes of long term air pollution concentrations in cities or metropolitan areas come from traffic exposure and traffic intensity. The Environmental Protection Agency and United Nations have suggested changes in air quality standards, implementation plans, and ways to reduce vehicle emissions specifically to improve human health and reduce the adverse effects of air pollution; however, more work still needs to be done. This review assesses the impact of the global long term (>3 years) air pollution exposure, specifically in urban environments on cardiovascular health and disease.

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Section: Addressing Issues Regarding Outdoor Air Pollutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The long term effects of outdoor air pollution in urban environments on cardiovascular health: a global review

Kraus

Murphy

2021

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“…17 Partnerships for the goals Direct Direct 5 CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, the foregoing synoptic analysis has considered the overall impact of air pollution as a barrier to achieving the goals and the role of better air quality management as an enabler for transformational change. One may argue, like Lode et al [5], that the 2030 Agenda merely "constitutes a non-binding, soft law framework with no proper enforcement and compliance mechanism". Whilst this may be true, the SDGs remain the only globally consensual pathway to a more sustainable future.…”

Section: Environmental Subset Of Sdgsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As well as providing an end-point for sustainable development, the goals provide a framework through which thematic issues can be considered in terms of the barriers they create to inhibit achievement of the goals or alternatively to consider the opportunities for securing the goals in the quickest possible time. Lode et al [5] view the SDGs as an opportunity to tackle air pollution at a global scale, stressing the importance of air pollution as a human health hazard.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysing Air Pollution and Its Management Through the Lens of the Un Sustainable Development Goals: A Review and Assessment

Longhurst

Barnes

Chatterton

et al. 2018

WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment

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This paper provides a high-level assessment of the causes and impacts of air pollution and its management through the lens of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through a literature review and expert assessment process the impact of air pollution as a barrier to achieving the SDGs is considered. The enabling contribution of air quality management is also assessed. The assessment considers the individual goal level as well as providing a synoptic overview of the 17 interconnected goals. The issues of air quality, air pollution and its management are not clearly identified in any of the 17 headline goals but to varying degrees are directly or indirectly present in some of the underpinning targets or indicators within the SDG framework. Air pollution is identified in this assessment as a direct barrier for each of the individual goals whilst air quality management is assessed as an enabler for 8 goals and provides co-benefits for the other 9. The importance of addressing air pollution as a negative constraint on sustainable progress is of fundamental importance, but the positive enabling contributions of clean air to the meeting of SDGs must also be recognised.

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“…Lode et al. 5 argue that, although the atmosphere is the largest natural resource, it is not governed by any comprehensive legal regime as opposed to the second largest natural resource, the sea that is governed by maritime law. International Atmospheric Law consists of a multitude of laws that vary not only in geographical coverage, but also in the principles and rules they apply.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative study of air quality indices in the European Union towards adopting a common air quality index

Karavas

Karayannis

Μουστάκας

2020

Energy & Environment

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This study aims to compare air quality indices applied in European Union countries towards adopting a common air quality index. The urban European cities Rome, Madrid, Paris, London, Berlin, Warsaw, Stockholm, and Oslo were selected. Using the EEA AirBase air quality database, time series data for the major atmospheric pollutants (CO, NO2, SO2, O3, PM10, and PM2.5) were recovered for each city, for most recent years available. Daily averages, maximum hourly values and maximum 8-h averages were calculated for each pollutant. The air quality indices selected were BelAQI, DAQx, DAQI, AtmoIndex, AQIH, and CAQI. The daily value of each air quality indices and the corresponding dominant atmospheric pollutant were determined for each city. A two-stage normalization procedure was applied on air quality indices in a 0–1 range, to allow their direct comparison without altering their structure. All air quality indices exhibited air quality rates over 64% for all cities, thus below the European Union air quality standard. The dominant pollutant was NO2 for both BelAQI and DAQx; O3 for both DAQI and AQIH (with an exception for Warsaw where SO2 was the dominant pollutant). For CAQI, NO2 prevails in Berlin, London, Warsaw, Stockholm, and Oslo, while O3 prevails in Rome, Madrid, and Paris. The dominant pollutant for AtmoIndex was NO2 in Berlin, Warsaw, and Stockholm; O3 in Madrid, Paris, London, and Oslo; PM10 in Rome. A very strong positive statistical correlation ( p < 0.01) was found for all cities between BelAQI and CAQI, and also between CAQI and DAQx. A strong positive statistical correlation ( p < 0.01) was found for all cities between BelAQI and DAQx. A moderate positive correlation was shown between the following pairs of indices: AtmoIndex-DAQI, AtmoIndex-AQIH, DAQI-AQIH, BelAQI-AQIH, and AQIH-CAQI. On the contrary, a weak positive correlation was noticed between the following pairs of indices: BelAQI-DAQI, BelAQI-AtmoIndex, DAQX-DAQI, DAQx-AQIH, DAQI-CAQI, and CAQI-AtmoIndex. After the normalization process that enables the direct comparison of the air quality indices, the main results are the BelAQI presents the largest normalized median (range 0.33–0.5) implying the worst air quality compared to the other air quality indices. The CAQI has a median value of 0.33, the DAQx of 0.25, while the AtmoIndex a median value range of 0.125–0.375, and the DAQI and AQIH of 0.165–0.33. Concluding, the AQIH can be proposed as a common European Union air quality index because: firstly, its calculation comprises all significant atmospheric pollutants including PM2.5, thereby being harmonized with the Directive 2008/50/EC, and, secondly, AQIH does not display extremely low or high (normalized) values compared to the other air quality indices.

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Clean Air for All by 2030? Air Quality in the 2030 Agenda and in International Law

Cited by 13 publications

References 3 publications

The long term effects of outdoor air pollution in urban environments on cardiovascular health: a global review

The long term effects of outdoor air pollution in urban environments on cardiovascular health: a global review

Analysing Air Pollution and Its Management Through the Lens of the Un Sustainable Development Goals: A Review and Assessment

Comparative study of air quality indices in the European Union towards adopting a common air quality index

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