As with any environmental issue, policies are implemented to mitigate and prevent any further damage. Yet black carbon is yet to be the latest craze for policy makers. Highwood
and Kinnersley (2006) argue mitigating Black Carbon (BC) emissions has the potential to act as a
short term fix for global warming. If this is the case then why are global policy makers not incorporating
this form of pollution?
International Long
Range Pollution policies.
Long Range Pollution was introduced to international climate policies in 1979. The Geneva Convention
on Long range Transboundary Air Pollution was signed in 1979 and implemented in 1983, being the first policy which
recognized the issues of transported pollutants. The most recent international
agreement, the Gothenburg
Protocol implemented in 1999, set limitations on aerosols (sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides), organic
compounds and ammonia to be achieved by 2010.
Upon completion Europe aimed to reduce sulfur emissions by approximately 63%
(in comparison to 1990).
A further policy which focuses on long range pollution is The Climate and Clean Air Coalition, which
consists of a series of governments, civil societies and private sectors from
countries including Bangladesh, Mexico and the US. The coalition targets
methane, Black Carbon and HFCs by raising awareness of these short lived climate
pollutants.
Despite this recent incorporation of BC across several political innovations, the pollutant still seems to be lacking across the global environmental scene.The IPCC 5th report (published in 2013) introduced aerosols and their radiative influences for the first time, yet Black carbon is still nowhere to be seen. It is the incorporation of BC into these global policies and research studies, such as the IPCC, which will help to reduce emissions.
Despite this recent incorporation of BC across several political innovations, the pollutant still seems to be lacking across the global environmental scene.The IPCC 5th report (published in 2013) introduced aerosols and their radiative influences for the first time, yet Black carbon is still nowhere to be seen. It is the incorporation of BC into these global policies and research studies, such as the IPCC, which will help to reduce emissions.
Within the Arctic.
Black carbon in Yukon. Should the Arctic really be looking like this? |
Policies still seem to be few and far between. To combat this issue of long range BC such policies must be integrated on a global scale, and not just by the countries who will come off worse! It seems many of the international climate debates are focused on Green House Gases and ignoring most other forms of pollution. In order to reduce BC emissions and benefit the Arctic this must change!
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