Although sustainable development plays an important role in EU law, neither EU law nor EU policy clearly explains what the concept means and how it must be put into practice. Policy-makers, NGOs, politicians and businesses do, however, need guidance on sustainable development for the purpose of good policy-making, for effectively holding the EU accountable, and for the design of CSR programmes. To that end, this article will first explain the guidance which EU law and policy already offer on sustainable development. Subsequently, this article will propose (I) a more workable definition of sustainable development than the one (the Brundtland definition) which is currently used, and (II) a framework of application for sustainable development. This framework of application (which will have the form of a sustainability impact assessment) provides practical guidance for policy-makers, politicians, NGOs and businesses when dealing with sustainable development in their day-to-day work.
In recent years several European air pollution policies have been based on a cost-effectiveness approach. In the European Union, the European Commission starts using the multi-pollutant, multi-effect GAINS (Greenhouse Gas Air Pollution Interactions and Synergies) model to identify cost-effective National Emission Ceilings and specific emission control measures for each Member State to reach these targets. In this paper, we apply the GAINS methodology to the case of Italy with 20 subnational regions. We present regional results for different approaches to environmental target setting for PM2.5 pollution in the year 2030. We have obtained these results using optimization techniques consistent with those of GAINS-Europe, but at a higher resolution. Our results show that an overall health-impact oriented approach is more cost-effective than setting a nation-wide limit value on ambient air quality, such as the one set for the year 2030 by the European Directive on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe. The health-impact oriented approach implies additional emission control costs of 153 million €/yr on top of the baseline costs, compared to 322 million €/yr for attaining the nation-wide air quality limit. We provide insights into the distribution of costs and benefits for regions within Italy and identify the main beneficiaries of a health-impact approach over a limit-value approach.
In recent years several European air pollution policies have been based on a cost-effectiveness approach. In the European Union, the European Commission starts using the multi-pollutant, multi-effect GAINS (Greenhouse Gas Air Pollution Interactions and Synergies) model to identify cost-effective National Emission Ceilings and specific emission control measures for each Member State to reach these targets. In this paper, we apply the GAINS methodology to the case of Italy with 20 subnational regions. We present regional results for different approaches to environmental target setting for PM2.5 pollution in the year 2030. We have obtained these results using optimization techniques consistent with those of GAINS-Europe, but at a higher resolution. Our results show that an overall health-impact oriented approach is more cost-effective than setting a nation-wide limit value on ambient air quality, such as the one set for the year 2030 by the European Directive on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe. The health-impact oriented approach implies additional emission control costs of 153 million €/yr on top of the baseline costs, compared to 322 million €/yr for attaining the nation-wide air quality limit. We provide insights into the distribution of costs and benefits for regions within Italy and identify the main beneficiaries of a health-impact approach over a limit-value approach.
This study explores the impacts of alternative emission control interventions for international shipping on the European Seas on relevant air pollutant emissions, examines their consequence on ambient air quality in Europe and the neighbouring regions, and explores the resulting improvements of human health. It estimates the costs of the various policy interventions, and compares them with monetized benefits on human health and other impacts. It is found that further controls of SO₂ emissions, e.g., through SO₂ emission control areas, could deliver rather fast benefits, and avoid by 2030 up to 4000 cases of premature deaths annually, and 8000 in 2050. In the longer run, by 2050, application of Tier III NOx standards could double the health benefits. Even when using the lower (most conservative) health valuation, all reduction measures examined in this report emerged as cost-effective, with monetized benefits exceeding emission control costs typically by a factor of 6 in 2030 and by a factor of 12 in 2050. Designation of the Mediterranean Sea as an Emission Control Area could by 2030 cut emissions of SO2 and NOx from international shipping by 80 and 20 percent, respectively, compared to current legislation. These additional emission reductions could avoid 4,100 cases of premature deaths in 2030 and more than 10,000 annual premature deaths in 2050. Even with the most conservative assumptions for health valuation, monetized benefits are on average 4.4 times higher than the costs in 2030 and 7.5 times higher in 2050.
This study explores the impacts of alternative emission control interventions for international shipping on the European Seas on relevant air pollutant emissions, examines their consequence on ambient air quality in Europe and the neighbouring regions, and explores the resulting improvements of human health. It estimates the costs of the various policy interventions, and compares them with monetized benefits on human health and other impacts. It is found that further controls of SO₂ emissions, e.g., through SO₂ emission control areas, could deliver rather fast benefits, and avoid by 2030 up to 4000 cases of premature deaths annually, and 8000 in 2050. In the longer run, by 2050, application of Tier III NOx standards could double the health benefits. Even when using the lower (most conservative) health valuation, all reduction measures examined in this report emerged as cost-effective, with monetized benefits exceeding emission control costs typically by a factor of 6 in 2030 and by a factor of 12 in 2050. Designation of the Mediterranean Sea as an Emission Control Area could by 2030 cut emissions of SO2 and NOx from international shipping by 80 and 20 percent, respectively, compared to current legislation. These additional emission reductions could avoid 4,100 cases of premature deaths in 2030 and more than 10,000 annual premature deaths in 2050. Even with the most conservative assumptions for health valuation, monetized benefits are on average 4.4 times higher than the costs in 2030 and 7.5 times higher in 2050.
The fast economic and population growth in India's urban areas and the limited control of pollution are causing public health problems and significant environmental degradation, including air, water, land and greenhouse gases, which undermines the potential for sustainable socioeconomic development of the country, particularly with impacts on the poor. To improve air quality and enhance economic and social development, the Government of India has issued a National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for annual average PM2.5 concentrations of 40 �g/m3. However, this standard is widely exceeded, and according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), India was home to 13 out of the 15 most polluted cities worldwide in terms of PM2.5 concentrations in 2016. This study explores pathways towards achieving the NAAQS in India in the context of the dynamics of social and economic development up to 2050. For this purpose, we employ two well-established scientific modelling tools that explore the socio-economic drivers of pollution (the GCAM model), in particular, energy consumption, and the GAINS model that explores effective policy interventions to reduce population exposure and health impacts. We estimate that in 2015 more than half of the Indian population, i.e. about 670 million people, was exposed to ambient PM2.5 concentrations that do not comply with India's NAAQS, and less than 1% enjoyed air quality conforming with the global WHO guideline value of 10 �g/m3. Without further political action, this figure is not expected to improve. While the existing emission control measures are effectively decoupling the trends of air pollutant emissions from economic growth, their impacts on ambient air quality are not directly visible since they are compensated by the rapid expansion of economic activities. The analysis reveals that advanced technical emission controls can deliver air quality improvements in India, but will not be sufficient to achieve the NAAQS everywhere. However, a package of development and decarbonization measures that are usually taken for other policy priorities can deliver significant co-benefits on air quality and achieve compliance with NAAQS for the vast majority of the population.
The fast economic and population growth in India's urban areas and the limited control of pollution are causing public health problems and significant environmental degradation, including air, water, land and greenhouse gases, which undermines the potential for sustainable socioeconomic development of the country, particularly with impacts on the poor. To improve air quality and enhance economic and social development, the Government of India has issued a National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for annual average PM2.5 concentrations of 40 �g/m3. However, this standard is widely exceeded, and according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), India was home to 13 out of the 15 most polluted cities worldwide in terms of PM2.5 concentrations in 2016. This study explores pathways towards achieving the NAAQS in India in the context of the dynamics of social and economic development up to 2050. For this purpose, we employ two well-established scientific modelling tools that explore the socio-economic drivers of pollution (the GCAM model), in particular, energy consumption, and the GAINS model that explores effective policy interventions to reduce population exposure and health impacts. We estimate that in 2015 more than half of the Indian population, i.e. about 670 million people, was exposed to ambient PM2.5 concentrations that do not comply with India's NAAQS, and less than 1% enjoyed air quality conforming with the global WHO guideline value of 10 �g/m3. Without further political action, this figure is not expected to improve. While the existing emission control measures are effectively decoupling the trends of air pollutant emissions from economic growth, their impacts on ambient air quality are not directly visible since they are compensated by the rapid expansion of economic activities. The analysis reveals that advanced technical emission controls can deliver air quality improvements in India, but will not be sufficient to achieve the NAAQS everywhere. However, a package of development and decarbonization measures that are usually taken for other policy priorities can deliver significant co-benefits on air quality and achieve compliance with NAAQS for the vast majority of the population.
After completion of the analyses that informed the negotiations on the revised national emission ceilings directive (NECD), important factors have changed. Improved emission inventories, the recent climate and energy policies of the European Union and new source‐oriented emission control regulations have profound implications on further actions to meet the emission reduction requirements of the NECD. Considering the interplay of this new information, this report presents an updated outlook for emissions and air quality in the European Union, and explores the prospects of achieving the WHO guideline values to protect human health and the Union's long‐term environmental policy objectives on the protection of ecosystems. It is found that, broadly speaking, by 2030 the recent legislation will bring the WHO guidelines for PM2.5 within reach for most areas, while further efforts, especially for agricultural ammonia emissions and PM emissions from residential combustion of solid fuels will be required at hot spots.
After completion of the analyses that informed the negotiations on the revised national emission ceilings directive (NECD), important factors have changed. Improved emission inventories, the recent climate and energy policies of the European Union and new source‐oriented emission control regulations have profound implications on further actions to meet the emission reduction requirements of the NECD. Considering the interplay of this new information, this report presents an updated outlook for emissions and air quality in the European Union, and explores the prospects of achieving the WHO guideline values to protect human health and the Union's long‐term environmental policy objectives on the protection of ecosystems. It is found that, broadly speaking, by 2030 the recent legislation will bring the WHO guidelines for PM2.5 within reach for most areas, while further efforts, especially for agricultural ammonia emissions and PM emissions from residential combustion of solid fuels will be required at hot spots.
