Joint Actions for Airquality and Climate mitigation in Europe

Combined action for air and climate can be undertaken by (I) targeting atmospheric compounds that happen to have detrimental impacts on health, ecosystem and climate at the same time (short lived climate pollutants), (II) targeting emission sources that emit a cocktail of pollutants and greenhouse gases (climate and air quality cobenefits, or synergies).

This document assesses the level of awareness in Europe about joint actions to improve air quality and mitigate climate change. Background information on SLCPs is provided, as well as a detailed list of measures offering cobenefits or trade-off for air quality and climate mitigation. An analysis of the situation in European countries is also performed together with selected case studies for Nordic countries.

We conclude that there is a solid body of evidence for opportunities for joint action on air quality and climate change. There are a number of international activities to foster action on SLCP, but at present only Norway has developed a concrete national action plan. The level of awareness on synergies is higher and it should be noted that most countries have identified potential synergies for air quality in their greenhouse gas mitigation plans.