3 Geneva Convention on long range transport of atmospheric pollutants

J.S. Laura

7.1 Introduction

Earth’s atmosphere is dynamic and so are the pollutants released in the atmosphere. Whenever the pollutants are released into the atmosphere from a source, they tend to diffuse and drift away horizontally with the wind and cross international boundaries. So air pollution affects the populations all over the globe, even far away from the source. To protect the human environment from air pollution and to gradually reduce and prevent air pollution, efforts beyond the geographical boundaries at international levels are necessary. An international treaty namely “The Convention on long-range transboundary air pollution” covers the above objectives.

Figure1: Picture showing mechanism of transboundary movement of air pollution

7.2 Convention background

The Convention on long-range transboundary air pollution was convened at Geneva (Switzerland) on 13 November, 1979 and came into force on 16 March, 1983. According to the provisions of United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, Charter of the United Nations and the principles of international law, the states have the sovereign right to exploit their own resources according to their own environmental policies and have the responsibility to ensure that activities within their jurisdiction or control do not cause damage to the environment of other states. Recognizing the short and long term adverse effects of air pollution including transboundary air pollution and to seek solutions for the problems identified, a need of active international co-operation was felt. All these concerns gave rise to this convention on long-range transboundary air pollution. The Convention is the first multilateral agreement on air pollution and the first environmental accord involving all nations of Eastern and Western Europe and North America. The convention now has 51 parties. The convention is implemented by the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP) (short for Co-operative Programme for Monitoring and Evaluation of the Long-range Transmission of Air Pollutants in Europe).

7.3 Definitions

The convention has two terms which need to be defined here as defined in the convention itself.

Air pollution means the introduction by man, directly or indirectly, of substances or energy into the air resulting in deleterious effects of such a nature as to endanger human health, harm living resources and ecosystems and material property and impair or interfere with amenities and other legitimate uses of the environment, and “air pollutants” shall be construed accordingly;

Long-range transboundary air pollution means air pollution whose physical origin is situated wholly or in part within the area under the national jurisdiction of one State and which has adverse effects in the area under the jurisdiction of another State at such a distance that it is not generally possible to distinguish the contribution of individual emission sources or groups of sources.

7.4 Principles

The convention is based on the following principles.

The Contracting parties shall protect man and his environment against air pollution (considering the facts and problems involved) and shall try to control, gradually reduce and prevent air pollution including long-range transboundary air pollution.
The Contracting parties within the framework of this convention shall develop such policies and strategies which shall serve as a means of combating the discharge of air pollutants, taking into account efforts already made at national and international levels. Such policies shall be developed by means of exchanges of information, consultation, research and monitoring among parties, without any undue delay.
The Contracting parties shall review and exchange information on their policies, scientific activities and technical measures aimed at combating the discharge of air pollutants which may have adverse effects.
Consultations shall be held upon request between contracting parties which are actually affected and contracting parties within whose jurisdiction a significant contribution to long-range transboundary air pollution originates.

7.5 Other considerations under this convention are as follows.

7.5.1 Air quality management

In order to combat air pollution each contracting party undertakes to develop the best policies and strategies (including air quality management systems and control measures compatible with balanced development) by using the best available technology which is economically feasible and low- and non-waste technology. Thus this convention is responsible for air quality management.

7.5.2 Research and development

The contracting parties resolved to initiate and co-operate in the conduct of research and development of:

(a) Existing and proposed technologies for reducing emissions of sulphur compounds and other major air pollutants, including technical and economic feasibility, and environmental consequences

(b) Instrumentation and other techniques for monitoring and measuring emission rates and ambient concentrations of air pollutants;

(d) The effects of sulphur compounds and other major air pollutants on human health and the environment (including agriculture, forestry, materials, aquatic and other natural ecosystems and visibility), with a view to establishing a scientific basis for dose/effect relationships designed to protect the environment;

(e) The economic, social and environmental assessment of alternative measures for attaining environmental objectives including the reduction of long-range transboundary air pollution;

(f) Education and training programmes related to the environmental aspects of pollution by sulphur compounds and other major air pollutants.

7.5.3 Exchange of information

In their common interest the contracting parties (within the framework of the executive body and bilaterally) can exchange available information on:

(a) Data related to emissions as per the agreements. The agreement on data exchange may include particular air pollutants, size of emitting grid-units, fluxes of agreed air pollutants, distances from national border and periods of time;

(b) Major changes in national policies and in general industrial development, and their potential impact, which would be likely to cause significant changes in long-range transboundary air pollution;

(d) The projected cost of the emission control of sulphur compounds and other major air pollutants on a national scale;

(e) Meteorological and physico-chemical data relating to the processes during transmission;

(f) Physico-chemical and biological data relating to the effects of long-range transboundary air pollution and the extent of the damage to which these data indicate can be attributed to long-range transboundary air pollution;

(g) National, sub-regional and regional policies and strategies for the control of sulphur compounds and other major air pollutants.

7.5.4 Implementation and further development of the cooperative programme for the monitoring and evaluation of the long-range transmission of air pollutants in europe

The contracting parties stress the need for the implementation of the existing “Cooperative programme for the monitoring and evaluation of the long-range transmission of air pollutants in Europe” (hereinafter referred to as EMEP) and, with regard to the further development of this programme, agree to emphasize:

(a) The desirability of contracting parties joining in and fully implementing EMEP which, as a first step, is based on the monitoring of sulphur dioxide and related substances;

(b) The need to use comparable or standardized procedures for monitoring whenever possible;

(c) The desirability of basing the monitoring programme on the framework of both national and international programmes. The establishment of monitoring stations and the collection of data shall be carried out under the national jurisdiction of the country in which the monitoring stations are located;

(d) The desirability of establishing a framework for a cooperative environmental monitoring programme, based on and taking into account present and future national, sub-regional, regional and other international programmes;

(e) The need to exchange data on emissions at periods of time to be agreed upon, of agreed air pollutants, starting with sulphur dioxide, coming from grid-units of agreed size; or on the fluxes of agreed air pollutants, starting with sulphur dioxide, across national borders, at distances and at periods of time to be agreed upon. The method and the model used to determine the fluxes and transmission of air pollutants based on the emissions per grid-unit, shall be made available and periodically reviewed, in order to improve the methods and the models;

(f) Their willingness to continue the exchange and periodic updating of national data on total emissions of agreed air pollutants, starting with sulphur dioxide;

g) The need to provide meteorological and physico-chemical data relating to processes during transmission;

(h) The need to monitor chemical components in other media such as water, soil and vegetation, as well as a similar monitoring programme to record effects on health and environment;

(i) The desirability of extending the national EMEP networks to make them operational for control and surveillance purposes.

7.6 Executive body

The representatives of the contracting parties shall, within the framework of the senior advisers to ECE governments on environmental problems, constitute the executive body of the present convention, and shall meet at least annually in that capacity. The executive body shall:

(a) Review the implementation of the present convention;

(b) Establish, as appropriate, working groups to consider matters related to the implementation and development of the present convention and to this end to prepare appropriate studies and other documentation and to submit recommendations to be considered by the executive body;

The executive body shall utilize the steering body for the EMEP to play an integral part in the operation of the present convention, in particular with regard to data collection and scientific cooperation. The executive body, in discharging its functions, shall, when it deems appropriate, also make use of information from other relevant international organizations.

7.7 Secretariat

The executive secretary of the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) shall carry out, for the Executive Body, the following secretariat functions:

(a) To convene and prepare the meetings of the Executive Body;

(b) To transmit to the Contracting Parties reports and other information received in accordance with the provisions of the present Convention;

7.8 Amendments to the convention

Any contracting party may propose amendments to the present Convention. The text of proposed amendments shall be submitted in writing to the executive secretary of the Economic Commission for Europe, who shall communicate them to all contracting parties. The executive body shall discuss proposed amendments at its next annual meeting. An amendment shall be adopted by consensus of the representatives of the contracting parties.

7.9 Settlement of disputes

If a dispute arises between two or more contracting parties to the present convention regarding the interpretation or application of the convention, they shall seek a solution by negotiation or by any other method of dispute settlement acceptable to the parties to the dispute.

7.10 Ratification, acceptance, approval and accession

1. The present Convention shall be subject to ratification, acceptance or approval.

2. The present Convention shall be open for accession as from 17 November 1979 by the States and organizations referred to in article 14, paragraph 1.

3. The instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, who will perform the functions of the depositary.

7.11 Entry into force

1. The present Convention shall enter into force on the ninetieth day after the date of deposit of the twenty-fourth instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession.

2. For each Contracting Party which ratifies, accepts or approves the present Convention or accedes thereto after the deposit of the twenty-fourth instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession, the Convention shall enter into force on the ninetieth day after the date of deposit by such Contracting Party of its instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession.

7.12 Withdrawal

At any time after five years from the date on which the present Convention has come into force with respect to a contracting party that contracting party may withdraw from the Convention by giving written notification to the depositary. Any such withdrawal shall take effect on the ninetieth day after the date of its receipt by the depositary.

7.13 Impacts of the convention

Since 1979 the convention on long-range transboundary air pollution has addressed some of the major environmental problems of the UNECE region through scientific collaboration and policy negotiation. The Convention has been extended by eight protocols that identify specific measures to be taken by parties to cut their emissions of air pollutants:

Protocol on Long-Term Financing of the Cooperative Programme for Monitoring and Evaluation of the Long-range Transmission of Air Pollutants in Europe (EMEP) (1984)
Helsinki Protocol on the Reduction of Sulphur Emissions (1985)
Nitrogen Oxide Protocol (1988)
Volatile Organic Compounds Protocol (1991)
Oslo Protocol on Further Reduction of Sulphur Emissions (1994)
Protocol on Heavy Metals (1998)
Aarhus Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants (1998)
Gothenburg Protocol to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication and Ground-level Ozone (1999)

The Parties meet annually at sessions of the Executive Body to review ongoing work and plan future activities including a work plan for the coming year. The three main subsidiary bodies – the Working Group on Effects, the Steering Body to EMEP and the Working Group on Strategies and Review – as well as the Convention’s Implementation Committee, report to the Executive Body each year.

Currently, the Convention’s priority activities include review and possible revision of its most recent protocols, implementation of the convention and its protocols across the entire UNECE region (with special focus on Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia and South-East Europe) and sharing its knowledge and information with other regions of the world.

Glossary-

1985 Helsinki Protocol on the reduction of sulphure emissions– Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on the Reduction of Sulphur Emissions or their Transboundary Fluxes by at least 30 per cent is a 1985 protocol to the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution agreement that provided for a 30 per cent reduction in sulphur emissions or transboundary fluxes by 1993. The protocol has been supplemented by the 1994 Oslo Protocol on Further Reduction of Sulphur Emissions.

Nitrogen oxide Protocol– Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution Concerning the Control of Emissions of Nitrogen Oxides or Their Transboundary Fluxes, opened for signature on 31 October 1988 and entered into force on 14 February 1991, was to provide for the control or reduction of nitrogen oxides and their transboundary fluxes. It was concluded in Sofia, Bulgaria. Parties (as of September 2016): (36) Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, CzechRepublic, D enmark, Estonia, EuropeanUnion, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, RepublicofMacedonia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia. Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States.

Volatile organic compounds protocol– The Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution Concerning the Control of Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds or Their Transboundary Fluxes (known as the Volatile Organic Compounds Protocol or the VOC Protocol) is a protocol to the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution which aims to provide for the control and reduction of emissions of volatile organic compounds in order to reduce their transboundary fluxes so as to protect human health and the environment from adverse effects. The protocol was concluded at Geneva, Switzerland.

Protocol to heavy metals– The Protocol on Heavy Metals, a protocol to the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution, was adopted in Aarhus, Denmark in 1998. As of 2004, it had 36 signatories. As of 2016, it had 35 signatories and 33 parties, with no country protection. Amendments to the Protocol were agreed in 2012 to introduce more stringent emission limits but are not yet in force.

References link-

Convention on Long-Range Tran boundary Air Pollution.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_on_Long-Range_Transboundary_Air_Pollution

LONG RANGE TRANSBOUNDARY AIR POLLUTION.

http://www.eolss.net/sample-chapters/c14/e1-44-02-08.pdf

Air Pollution. https://www.unece.org/env/lrtap/welcome.html

Reduction of Long-range Tran boundary Air Pollution.

http://www.varam.gov.lv/eng/darbibas_veidi/transboundary_air_pollution/

Convention on Long-Range Tran boundary Air Pollution (1979).

https://www.opcw.org/chemical-weapons-convention/related-international-agreements/toxic-chemicals-and-the-environment/long-range-transboundary-air-pollution/

Convention on long-range Trans boundary air pollution (Geneva Convention 1979).

http://ec.europa.eu/world/agreements/prepareCreateTreatiesWorkspace/treatiesGeneralData.do ?step=0&redirect=true&treatyId=498