Quantity and Quality. Assessment of sustainability impacts of trade agreements

The breadth and depth of today’s trade agreements and the wide range of their effects pose a real challenge for assessing their potential impacts. Yet precisely their comprehensiveness makes assessment all the more necessary. A number of methodologies for assessment exist, and State practice is evolving as recognition grows of the need to respond to distributional, sustainability and social impacts of trade and as new tools and approaches emerge for assessing impacts of trade on a range of policies. Criticisms have also been leveled at the ex ante impact assessments (IAs) carried out so far. They have frequently been carried out too late to influence negotiations. Some have been framed too narrowly and others too broadly. Stakeholder participation tends to be sub-optimal. And in many cases, the IA findings are not taken into account in the final trade agreement. This session aimed to demonstrate that it is possible to improve our understanding of likely impacts of trade agreements on a range of sustainability and social objectives. Presenters discussed different methodological approaches to ex ante sustainability1 assessments of trade agreements and how these may be combined in order to get optimal results. The session addressed how conventional economic modelling tools work, and gave some examples of how they can be developed to better reflect social issues. The presentations included illustrations from ex ante assessments of the planned trade agreement between the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and Mercosur (EMFTA). Panelists and participants agreed that (ex ante) impact assessment should ideally include qualitative and quantitative aspects, and that governments should improve their communication about the objectives and planned contents of trade agreements

Effects of various meteorological conditions and spatial emission resolutions on the ozone concentration & ROG/NO_x limitation in the Milan area (I)

International audienceThe three-dimensional photochemical model UAM-V is used to investigate the effects of various meteorological conditions and of the coarseness of emission inventories on the ozone concentration and ROG/NOx limitation of the ozone production in the Po Basin in the northern part of Italy. As a base case, the high ozone episode with up to 200 ppb on 13 May 1998 was modelled and previously thoroughly evaluated with measurements gained during a large field experiment. The performed variations in meteorology are applied to mixing height, air temperature, specific humidity and wind speed. Three coarser emission inventories are obtained by resampling from 3×3 km2 up to 54×54 km2 emission grids. The model results show that changes in meteorological input files have the largest effect on peak ozone. In the modelled ozone plume a slope of 10.1 ppb ozone/°C and in Milan of 2.8 ppb ozone/°C were found. The net ozone formation in northern Italy is more strongly temperature than humidity dependent, while the humidity is very important for the ROG/NOx limitation of the ozone production. For each of the meteorological variations (e.g. doubling the mixing height), the modelled ozone plume remains ROG limited for this case. A strong change towards NOx sensitivity in the ROG limited areas is only found if much coarser emission inventories were applied. Increasing ROG limited areas with increasing wind speed are found, because the ROG limited ozone chemistry induced by point sources is spread over a larger area. Simulations without point sources tend to increase the NOx limited areas

Effects of various meteorological conditions and spatial emissionresolutions on the ozone concentration and ROG/NO_x limitationin the Milan area (I)

The three-dimensional photochemical model UAM-V is used to investigate the effects of various meteorological conditions and of the coarseness of emission inventories on the ozone concentration and ROG/NO_x limitation of the ozone production in the Po Basin in the northern part of Italy. As a base case, the high ozone episode with up to 200ppb on 13 May 1998 was modelled and previously thoroughly evaluated with measurements gained during a large field experiment. Systematic variations in meteorology are applied to mixing height, air temperature, specific humidity and wind speed. Three coarser emission inventories are obtained by resampling from 3x3km² up to 54x54km² emission grids. The model results show that changes in meteorological input files strongly influence ozone in this area. For instance, temperature changes peak ozone by 10.1ppb/&degC and the ozone concentrations in Milan by 2.8ppb/&degC. The net ozone formation in northern Italy is more strongly temperature than humidity dependent, while the humidity is very important for the ROG/NO_x limitation of the ozone production. For all meteorological changes (e.g. doubling the mixing height), the modelled peak ozone remains ROG limited. A strong change towards NO_x sensitivity in the ROG limited areas is only found if much coarser emission inventories were applied. Increasing ROG limited areas with increasing wind speed are found, because the ROG limited ozone chemistry induced by point sources is spread over a larger area. Simulations without point sources tend to increase the NO_x limited areas

Öffentlich-private Partnerschaften : Bedeutung und Herausforderungen für die Entwicklungszusammenarbeit

Die Auseinandersetzung mit den öffentlich-privaten Partnerschaften (PPP) in der Entwicklungszusammenarbeit hat sich als sehr delikate und heikle Aufgabe erwiesen. Wegen der unterschiedlichen Bedeutungen lässt sich das Konzept schwer umreissen; ausserdem sind festgefahrene und emotionsgeladene Positionen zu beobachten. Es gibt keine anerkannte Definition des Konzeptes PPP, welche den verschiedenen Akteuren der Entwicklungszusammenarbeit als Referenz dienen könnte; überdies ist der Begriff unge..

Les partenariats public-privé, enjeux et défis pour la coopération au développement

Aborder la question des partenariats public-privé (PPP) dans la coopération au développement s’est avéré une tâche périlleuse et délicate, tant la notion est difficile à cerner du fait de ses acceptions diverses, et laisse apparaître des positions tranchées, voire émotionnelles. Non seulement il n’existe pas de définition reconnue de la notion de PPP qui puisse servir de référence commune aux différents acteurs de la coopération au développement, mais cette notion est en outre imprécise en ce..

Volatile Organic Compounds in the Po Basin. Part A: Anthropogenic VOCs

Measurements of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were performed in the Po Basin, northern Italy in early summer 1998 within the PIPAPO project as well as in summer 2002 and autumn 2003 within the FORMAT project. During the three campaigns, trace gases and meteorological parameters were measured at a semi-rural station, around 35 km north of the city center of Milan. Low toluene and benzene concentrations and lower toluene to benzene ratios on weekends, on Sundays, and in August enabled the identification of a ‘weekend' and a ‘vacation' effect when anthropogenic emissions were lower due to less traffic and reduced industrial activities, respectively. Recurrent nighttime cyclohexane peaks suggested a periodical short-term release of cyclohexane close to the semi-rural sampling site. A multivariate receptor model analysis resulted in the distinction of different characteristic concentration profiles attributed to natural gas, biogenic impact, vehicle exhaust, industrial activities, and a single cyclohexane sourc

Gas/particle partitioning of carbonyls in the photooxidation of isoprene and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene

A new denuder-filter sampling technique has been used to investigate the gas/particle partitioning behaviour of the carbonyl products from the photooxidation of isoprene and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene. A series of experiments was performed in two atmospheric simulation chambers at atmospheric pressure and ambient temperature in the presence of NOx and at a relative humidity of approximately 50%. The denuder and filter were both coated with the derivatizing agent O-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzyl)-hydroxylamine (PFBHA) to enable the efficient collection of gas- and particle-phase carbonyls respectively. The tubes and filters were extracted and carbonyls identified as their oxime derivatives by GC-MS. The carbonyl products identified in the experiments accounted for around 5% and 10% of the mass of secondary organic aerosol formed from the photooxidation of isoprene and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene respectively. Experimental gas/particle partitioning coefficients were determined for a wide range of carbonyl products formed from the photooxidation of isoprene and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene and compared with the theoretical values based on standard absorptive partitioning theory. Photooxidation products with a single carbonyl moiety were not observed in the particle phase, but dicarbonyls, and in particular, glyoxal and methylglyoxal, exhibited gas/particle partitioning coefficients several orders of magnitude higher than expected theoretically. These findings support the importance of heterogeneous and particle-phase chemical reactions for SOA formation and growth during the atmospheric degradation of anthropogenic and biogenic hydrocarbons

Characterization of positive clusters in the CLOUD nucleation experiments

The mechanism of new particle formation (NPF) events is still poorly understood. The CLOUD experiment is studying at which conditions this process occurs. During the CLOUD 7 campaign (fall 2012) the evolution of the nucleation rate with different reagents (sulphuric acid, ammonia, dimethylamine and α-pinene) was tested. Here we investigate the composition of freshly formed positive ions during the nucleation process, which allows us to understand the formation mechanisms of these clusters. The time evolution of the clusters is shown demonstrating the correlation between the formation of these clusters and the nucleation process

The influence of traffic and wood combustion on the stable isotopic composition of carbon monoxide

Carbon monoxide in the atmosphere is originating from various combustion and oxidation processes. Recently, the proportion of CO resulting from the combustion of wood for domestic heating may have increased due to political measures promoting this renewable energy source. Here, we used the stable isotope composition of CO (δ<sup>13</sup>C and δ<sup>18</sup>O) for the characterization of different CO sources in Switzerland, along with other indicators for traffic and wood combustion (NO<sub>x</sub>-concentration, aerosol light absorption at different wavelengths). We assessed diurnal variations of the isotopic composition of CO at 3 sites during winter: a village site dominated by domestic heating, a site close to a motorway and a rural site. The isotope ratios of wood combustion emissions were studied at a test facility, indicating significantly lower δ<sup>18</sup>O of CO from wood combustion compared to traffic emissions. At the village and the motorway site, we observed very pronounced diurnal δ<sup>18</sup>O-variations of CO with an amplitude of up to 8‰. Solving the isotope mass balance equation for three distinct sources (wood combustion, traffic, clean background air) resulted in diurnal patterns consistent with other indicators for wood burning and traffic. The average night-time contribution of wood-burning to total CO was 70% at the village site, 49% at the motorway site and 29% at the rural site based on the isotope mass balance. The results, however, depend strongly on the pure source isotope values, which are not very well known. We therefore additionally applied a combined CO/NO<sub>x</sub>-isotope model for verification. Here, we separated the CO emissions into different sources based on distinct CO/NO<sub>x</sub> emissions ratios for wood combustion and traffic, and inserted this information in the isotope mass balance equation. Accordingly, a highly significant agreement between measured and calculated δ<sup>18</sup>O-values of CO was found (<i>r</i>=0.67, <i>p</i><0.001). While different proxies for wood combustion all have their uncertainties, our results indicate that the oxygen isotope ratio of CO (but not the carbon isotope ratio) is an independent sensitive tool for source attribution studies