Headline:
Integrating air quality and climate change mitigation – Is there a need for new metrics to support decision making?
Air pollution and climate change are often treated as isolated problems. With these topics being strongly linked with regard to their causes, effects and mitigation options, the integration of policies that steer air pollutant and greenhouse gas emission reductions might result in cheaper, more effective and thus more sustainable solutions for the two problems.
The European Environment Agency together with the IASS Potsdam and the Interdisciplinary and Global Working Group on SLCPs therefore hosted a workshop on “Integrating air quality and climate change mitigation – Is there a need for new metrics to support decision making?” in Copenhagen, Denmark from October 9-10, 2013.
The aim of the workshop which was organised in the follow-up of the conference “Air Quality and Climate Change Policies – Separate or Joint Challenges” was to address whether currently available indicators or metrics that describe the potential consequences of actions against air pollution and climate change are “fit for purpose” or whether there is a need to develop alternative metrics or reassess the way current metrics are used and communicated in the context of integrating policies in the areas of air quality and climate change.
During the workshop the participants were able to suggest a first version of a framework that can serve the purpose of cross-evaluating actions for climate and air based on currently available metrics. This framework will be elaborated in the upcoming months.
25 experts from the science and policy of air quality, climate change and health from Europe, the US and Asia discussed how the process of integrating especially air and climate policies can be better supported at various scales. While the conversations at the workshop showed that much work remains to be done, especially with respect to establishing science-science exchanges across the involved disciplines as well as science-policy dialogues at local, regional and international level, this group has made an important first step towards a coherent approach for integrating air and climate challenges.