Harnessing science, policy, and law to deliver clean air

Despite increasing evidence and awareness, many countries continue to have weak air quality regimes. Trends in epidemiological and toxicological science point to health harms arising from air pollution at ever-lower concentrations, making the provision of clean air increasingly urgent yet ever more difficult to achieve. Compelling scientific evidence on causes, effects, and technical fixes is not sufficient to deliver global clean air ambitions; the law must play a central role in shaping actions. Yet despite an increase in the number of national laws and regulations that seek to address the problem, many countries still have weak air quality regimes. We identify six key future looking issues at the interface of science, the law, and policy, each of which shows why air quality governance is a complex, interdependent, and dynamic regulatory space, which needs interdisciplinary attention in diagnosing how air quality regimes might be improved

Guide on Ambient Air Quality Legislation - Air Pollution Series.

Embedding ambient air quality standards (AAQS) in legislation is an important foundation for effective national air quality governance. Legislation can establish institutional responsibility for air quality standards, set mechanisms for accountability, public participation and enforcement, and institutionalize processes for setting and updating robust air quality standards as knowledge and technologies develop. UNEP’s 2021 Regulating Air Quality: The First Global Assessment of Air Pollution Legislation found that, while most countries in the world do embed AAQS in legislation, there was no common legal framework for AAQS globally. UNEP has developed this Guide on Ambient Air Quality Legislation to assist national lawmakers and policymakers to develop or improve ambient air quality legislation. The aim of this Guide is to promote robust national systems of air quality governance that prioritize public health outcomes and respect that all humans share the same need to breathe air of adequate quality. The Guide emphasizes that air pollution is a collective problem arising from decisions and behaviours across a wide range of policy sectors. Thus, regulatory alignment across wide-ranging policy areas is critical to achieving AAQS in practice. This Guide addresses a lacuna that exists in air quality laws globally, providing a legal resource for developing robust national legislation that supports public access to scientifically evidenced levels of clean air

URGENDA, Docteur Honoris Causa!

jeudi 26 septembre 2019 - La Fondation Urgenda a reçu les insignes de Docteur Honoris Causa de l'Université Saint-Louis Bruxelles. Urgenda est mondialement célèbre depuis l’action en justice qu’elle intenta contre le gouvernement néerlandais en matière de climat et qui fut couronnée de succès, en première instance, en 2015, et en appel, en 2018. Restait cependant encore le pourvoi en Cassation. Avec un tel pourvoi, cela passe ou cela casse. Et cela passe ! L’argumentation juridique défendu..