{"id":11142,"date":"2025-03-10T17:48:14","date_gmt":"2025-03-10T15:48:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.uef.fi\/cceel\/?p=11142"},"modified":"2025-03-10T18:17:30","modified_gmt":"2025-03-10T16:17:30","slug":"a-recipe-for-zero-pollution-climate-policies-win-win-solutions-for-cleaning-the-air-and-protecting-the-climate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.uef.fi\/cceel\/a-recipe-for-zero-pollution-climate-policies-win-win-solutions-for-cleaning-the-air-and-protecting-the-climate\/","title":{"rendered":"A Recipe for Zero-Pollution Climate Policies:\u00a0Win-win Solutions for Cleaning the Air and Protecting the Climate\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>By <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/uefconnect.uef.fi\/en\/niklas.lother\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Niklas L\u00f6ther<\/strong><\/a><strong>, Project Researcher<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1473\" height=\"982\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.uef.fi\/cceel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/522\/image.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11151\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Photo by <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/de\/@frozencloud\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Benjamin<\/a> on <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/de\/fotos\/eine-gruppe-von-leuten-die-mit-fahrradern-eine-strasse-hinunterfahren-7TSnrTE5dQc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Unsplash<\/a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Around <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eea.europa.eu\/en\/analysis\/publications\/harm-to-human-health-from-air-pollution-2024\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">400,000 premature deaths each year<\/a> are attributable to air pollution in Europe. Yet, the subject is increasingly sidelined by the climate crisis in public debate \u2013 despite the <a href=\"https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/legal-content\/EN\/TXT\/?uri=celex:52019DC0640\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">European Green Deal<\/a> setting <em>both<\/em> carbon-neutrality <em>and<\/em> zero-pollution as goals for 2050. Indeed, we should not be thinking of these goals as competing in the first place: Warming and air pollution share many sources and <a href=\"https:\/\/brill.com\/display\/book\/9789004684089\/BP000002.xml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">several pollutants are themselves heating agents<\/a>, so win-win solutions do exist. There are also trade-offs between them, however, that must be considered.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While climate-pollution interactions are popular topics for scientific research and in international fora like the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/teams\/environment-climate-change-and-health\/climate-change-and-health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">World Health Organisation<\/a> or the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ccacoalition.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Climate and Clean Air Coalition<\/a> \u2013 the latter of which is entirely dedicated to the subject \u2013 they garnered less attention in the research and practice of EU law. However, <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.uef.fi\/climairpathways\/previous-projects\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CCEEL has continuously worked on the subject<\/a> from a legal and policy perspective for a whole decade now. As part of this research (currently continuing under the <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.uef.fi\/climairpathways\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ClimAirPathways project<\/a>) and based on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eionet.europa.eu\/etcs\/etc-atni\/products\/etc-atni-reports\/etcacm_tp_2015_7_slcpactionplans\/@@download\/file\/ETCACM_TP_2015_7_SLCPActionPlans.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">scientific literature on the subject<\/a>, we can formulate a first draft for a practice-oriented recipe for zero-pollution climate policies. Here are five steps these should follow:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Always remember: Climate-neutral \u2260 Zero Pollution<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>The most important first step to integrated policies is realising that not all climate action improves air quality. As the climate crisis rose on the agenda, the <a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1002\/eet.1819\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">framing around \u201csustainability\u201d has increasingly narrowed<\/a> to a point where the term is now often used interchangeably with climate action, obscuring trade-offs between decarbonisation and other environmental priorities. Yet, such trade-offs exist \u2013 including with clean air: Most notoriously, <a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1111\/reel.12211\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the EU spent many years promoting the adoption of diesel cars<\/a> because their carbon emissions are lower than petrol cars\u2019 \u2013 until it emerged that they also produce significantly more <a href=\"https:\/\/brill.com\/display\/book\/9789004684089\/BP000015.xml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">particulate pollution<\/a>. To this day, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eea.europa.eu\/publications\/europes-air-quality-status-2024\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">one fifth of EU citizens breathe air failing to meet quality standards<\/a> set in the Ambient Air Quality Directive \u2013 relatively unambitious values compared to WHO recommendations \u2013 and <a href=\"https:\/\/environment.ec.europa.eu\/topics\/air\/air-pollution-key-sectors_en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">diesel cars are a key reason<\/a> for this.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Likewise, not all pollution control also mitigates warming: For instance, stricter standards for sulphur emissions from ships <a href=\"https:\/\/www-science-org.ezproxy.uef.fi:2443\/content\/article\/changing-clouds-unforeseen-test-geoengineering-fueling-record-ocean-warmth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">contributed to recent spikes in ocean temperatures<\/a>, as the absence of this pollutant reduced cloud formation over shipping routes. Besides, a decline in atmospheric sulphur concentrations <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/reducing-air-pollution-could-increase-methane-emissions-from-wetlands-heres-what-needs-to-be-done-246723\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">may even increase greenhouse gas emissions from wetlands<\/a>, further complicating the picture. Hence, while we may intuitively think combatting climate change always goes along with reducing pollution, reality is more difficult. To design synergistic policies or at least minimise the above trade-offs, such complexities should not be ignored, meaning the discourse around sustainability must broaden to consider environmental threats beyond the climate crisis as well.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"2\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Technology is not neutral: Avoid combustion wherever possible<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>As the sustainability agenda has narrowed around climate action, it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1080\/09644016.2019.1549780\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">also increasingly focuses on technological solutions<\/a>: Biofuels and electric vehicles (EVs) have been developed to replace fossil fuels in transport, renewable energy, like wind, solar and biogas, do the same for our energy mix, and there are <a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1002\/eet.1819\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">plans to capture and store any remaining carbon<\/a> after its emission. \u201cThe more the merrier\u201d has been the general approach to these technologies, with significant subsidies allocated to all the above, rather than picking winners. <em>Technological neutrality<\/em> is becoming a buzzword in Brussels and member state capitals, meaning that all low-carbon technologies should be supported and the market, not politicians, should choose which wins.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This, however, is only true for carbon emissions and, again, ignores air pollution: For example, biofuels may not emit fossil carbon when burned but their chemical composition is not that different from fossil fuels, so the pollution impact is effectively the same. Similarly, carbon capture selectively removes one component of atmospheric emissions, CO<sub>2<\/sub>, but leaves any other pollutants there for us to breathe. From a health perspective, a better attitude to technology than \u201cthe more the merrier\u201d would be \u201cno smoke without fire\u201d, i.e. avoiding combustion wherever possible, as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-024-60946-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">combustion processes produce most particle pollution<\/a>. Essentially, if it looks like pollution and it smells like pollution, then it is pollution \u2013 even if it does qualify as low-carbon.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, combustion cannot always be avoided and there is a place for bioenergy, too. However, it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.transportenvironment.org\/articles\/biofuels-and-e-fuels-in-trucks-will-make-it-harder-for-aviation-and-shipping-to-go-green\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">would be a waste<\/a> to use these limited resources in sectors like road transport, where viable non-combustion alternatives such as EVs exist. Instead, they should be reserved for hard-to-abate sectors like aviation and shipping, where electrification is implausible. Also, not all combustion is equally bad: Generally, <a href=\"https:\/\/assets.publishing.service.gov.uk\/media\/6389ee858fa8f569f9c823d2\/executive-summary-and-recommendations-air-pollution.pdf#page=16\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the more solid the fuel, the dirtier its emissions<\/a> \u2013 so biogas is more worthy of support than biodiesel or, worst of all, solid biomass. Nevertheless, the EU\u2019s Renewable Energy Directive sets a <a href=\"https:\/\/energy.ec.europa.eu\/topics\/renewable-energy\/bioenergy\/biofuels_en#:~:text=By%202030%2C%20EU%20countries%20are,and%20advanced%20biofuels%20of%205.5%25.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sector-wide target for biofuels in transport<\/a>, rather than specific goals for aviation or shipping, and even <a href=\"https:\/\/energy.ec.europa.eu\/topics\/renewable-energy\/bioenergy\/biomass_en#biomass-in-the-renewable-energy-directive\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">condones the use of \u201csustainable\u201d solid biomass<\/a>. Member states thus <a href=\"https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/legal-content\/EN\/TXT\/PDF\/?uri=CELEX:52025DC0017\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">support all sorts of bioenergy<\/a> across various sectors, often even including wood in residential heating \u2013 the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-024-60946-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">biggest single cause of particle pollution<\/a> in most EU cities. In such cases, technological neutrality amounts to health indifference. It would be healthier to abandon this principle and support only the most viable low-carbon technologies that also minimise pollution.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"3\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Time \u2013 and place \u2013 is of the essence: Lives are at stake<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>The focus on technologies, including some not yet viable at scale like carbon capture or green hydrogen, implicitly shifts time horizons for emissions reduction backwards: As technology will save us in the end, immediate changes become less important. Another example of this is revived focus on nuclear energy, e.g. in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.euractiv.com\/section\/politics\/news\/italy-lays-groundwork-for-a-nuclear-energy-comeback\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Italy<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/germany-election-eu-nuclear-power-energy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Germany<\/a>: While theoretically climate-neutral and zero-pollution, (re-)developing a nuclear sector from scratch where this technology is not currently in use would take decades. From a climate perspective, this can be justifiable if long-term emissions goals are met \u2013 but the same logic does not apply to air pollution: Compared to the more gradual and cumulative nature of climate change, pollution is an acute health crisis caused overwhelmingly by current emissions and must be tackled immediately. Postponing action even just a few years \u2013 let alone decades, the timeframe of many climate policies \u2013 risks millions of lives.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Besides long-time horizons, the technological and market-driven approach predominant in current environmental policies also fails to tackle pollution at the right spatial scale: Treating emissions reduction as a market implies that the location of the reduction does not matter, but only its cost. This again applies only to the cumulative problem of climate change \u2013 not the more immediate air pollution threat: Pollutants have shorter atmospheric lifetimes than CO<sub>2<\/sub>, so most stay near the area of emission rather than diffuse globally, creating <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/ng-interactive\/2023\/sep\/20\/europes-pollution-divide-see-how-your-area-compares\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">regional hotspots<\/a> for instance in cities, but also in energy-poor rural regions, <a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/eurpub\/article\/31\/Supplement_3\/ckab164.734\/6405669\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">where cheap biomass or coal are main sources of heat<\/a>. Integrated climate and pollution strategies should therefore prioritise immediate emissions cuts and do so particularly where health benefits will be greatest. For example, this means targeting traffic and heating emissions, which are highest in population centres, including by alleviating energy poverty. Focusing on nuclear energy or carbon capture distracts from these urgent issues.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"4\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Technology won\u2019t save us: Behavioural change is needed<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Steps 1-3 have been fixated on technological change, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nomos-elibrary.de\/de\/10.5771\/2566-7742-2022-2-247.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">as have policymakers<\/a>, but this alone is not the solution. For example, while electrifying transport significantly cuts fine particulate pollution, it simultaneously <a href=\"https:\/\/downloads.ctfassets.net\/hli0qi7fbbos\/2yNyTf04k1r625tNALOriS\/a37d5a35ab553219dba5726705913417\/ACCC_FASN2024_abstract_book.pdf#page=136\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">increases emissions of larger particles from tyre and brake abrasion<\/a>, as EVs are much heavier than petrol cars. EVs may reduce air pollution overall but their health impact is not zero \u2013 so transport strategies should promote not just alternative vehicles but also alternatives to driving altogether. Furthermore, we have not yet discussed another major source of air pollution, agricultural livestock: Its emissions can be decreased by optimising feeding techniques and manure management \u2013 but only to an extent, meaning impactful climate and pollution policies should target dietary preferences, too. There is no such thing as production without environmental externalities, so part of the transition to sustainability will have to come through changes in our behaviour and consumption.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"5\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Never stop learning<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, one caveat: While the above steps are all backed by ample evidence, there are still many unanswered questions on climate-pollution interactions. Furthermore, there are doubtlessly also questions we aren\u2019t yet asking but should be. For example, the above-mentioned warming impacts of policies tackling shipping pollution surprised decisionmakers at the time \u2013 so we must anticipate unexpected results. While climate change is remarkably well understood overall, science on its interactions with air pollution \u2013 particularly in the form of aerosols \u2013 keeps evolving and <a href=\"https:\/\/news.climate.columbia.edu\/2023\/01\/12\/what-uncertainties-remain-in-climate-science\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">involves significant uncertainties<\/a>. Integrated climate-pollution policymaking must therefore be responsive to new scientific insights and entail constant learning from past experience. After all, both climate change and air pollution are wicked problems in their own right, rendered more complex still by the many interactions between them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is a push to make environmental laws more adaptive and to strengthen science-policy dialogues. This is particularly notable in the <a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/jel\/article\/36\/1\/23\/7517743\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">European Climate Law<\/a>, which requires all EU legislative proposals to be assessed for compatibility with climate neutrality and established a scientific advisory board to inform the Commission\u2019s climate policies going forwards. However, no equivalent statutory advisory body or legislative compatibility check exists for the Green Deal\u2019s other objectives, including the zero-pollution goal, so there is much room for improvement. A willingness to keep learning about complex climate-pollution interactions \u2013 rather than just narrow scientific advice on climate <em>or<\/em> pollution effects \u2013 would be another crucial ingredient for more integrated policies and laws.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"         \"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the final step in the above list is to never <em>stop<\/em> learning, it may be more appropriate to demand that we <em>start<\/em> learning in the first place. The European Commission\u2019s new \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/commission.europa.eu\/document\/download\/9db1c5c8-9e82-467b-ab6a-905feeb4b6b0_en?filename=Communication%20-%20Clean%20Industrial%20Deal_en.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Clean Industrial Deal<\/a>\u201d, which guides EU environmental policymaking going forwards, places great emphasis on \u201cthe principle of technological neutrality\u201d. There is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eppgroup.eu\/newsroom\/revise-the-combustion-engine-ban\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">not-so-subtle political campaign<\/a> to mobilise this principle against the 2035 phaseout of the internal combustion engine. Furthermore, the Commission is hinting that its technology-neutral approach will open the door to <a href=\"https:\/\/commission.europa.eu\/document\/download\/9db1c5c8-9e82-467b-ab6a-905feeb4b6b0_en?filename=Communication%20-%20Clean%20Industrial%20Deal_en.pdf#page=8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">more funding for carbon capture<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.euractiv.com\/section\/eet\/news\/eu-industry-chief-says-expect-nuclear-hydrogen-in-clean-industrial-deal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">potentially even nuclear energy<\/a>. Evidently, human health is not adequately considered here.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Indeed, despite its name suggesting otherwise, the Clean Industrial Deal includes no mention of air pollution or indeed pollution of any kind. Its only environmental objective is climate-neutrality \u2013 a much narrower scope than the Green Deal, which also called for zero pollution and nature restoration, among others. Also, unlike the Green Deal, the Clean Industrial Deal counts exclusively on technological change, without any reference to necessary behavioural shifts. The first legislative proposal following this, the <a href=\"https:\/\/finance.ec.europa.eu\/publications\/commission-simplifies-rules-sustainability-and-eu-investments-delivering-over-eu6-billion_en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">omnibus I<\/a> package, essentially <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/most-eu-firms-exempted-from-green-reporting-under-proposed-omnibus-bill\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dismantles corporate sustainability due diligence and reporting obligations<\/a>, particularly on pollution prevention and control. The Green Deal\u2019s objectives can consequently no longer be taken for granted.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whatever the Commission is cooking up with the Clean Industrial Deal (the details are still emerging), it is not following the above recipe. Moving towards technological neutrality and away from the more holistic agenda of the Green Deal is not a recipe for integrated policies. From a human health and air quality perspective, it is a recipe for disaster.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Niklas L\u00f6ther, Project Researcher&nbsp; Photo by Benjamin on Unsplash.&nbsp;&nbsp; Around 400,000 premature deaths each year are attributable to air pollution in Europe. Yet, the subject is increasingly sidelined by the climate crisis in public debate \u2013 despite the European Green Deal setting both carbon-neutrality and zero-pollution as goals for 2050. Indeed, we should not [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1288,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[19,1329,946,1328,1327],"class_list":["post-11142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-yleinen","tag-air-pollution","tag-clean-industrial-deal","tag-climate-policy","tag-green-deal","tag-human-health"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A Recipe for Zero-Pollution Climate Policies:\u00a0Win-win Solutions for Cleaning the Air and Protecting the Climate\u00a0 - The Center for Climate Change, Energy and Environmental Law<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.uef.fi\/cceel\/a-recipe-for-zero-pollution-climate-policies-win-win-solutions-for-cleaning-the-air-and-protecting-the-climate\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Recipe for Zero-Pollution Climate Policies:\u00a0Win-win Solutions for Cleaning the Air and Protecting the Climate\u00a0 - The Center for Climate Change, Energy and Environmental Law\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Niklas L\u00f6ther, Project Researcher&nbsp; Photo by Benjamin on Unsplash.&nbsp;&nbsp; Around 400,000 premature deaths each year are attributable to air pollution in Europe. 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