Environmental objectives and target setting CAFE Steering Group 18 November 2004 André Zuber Clean Air & Transport Unit DG Environment

Environmental objective What is ? Environmental objective General, often related to environmental impact Expressing an ambition level Long term – to be achieved ultimately Interim objective – to be achieved a specific year Long term - achieving critical loads, Interim – ”gap closure” by 50% 1990 to 2010

What is ? Targets Specific concrete parameter and values to be achieved a specific year AQ limit and target values, national emission ceilings Also used in the context of integrated assessment modelling (environmental targets)

CAFE application of objectives and targets In integrated assessment models Exploring the implications of various policy options and achieving environmental objectives through cost-effective measures ”initial (long-term) targets …should be based only on environmental and health effects” SG Dec 2001 Later, estimates of costs, benefits, risk and risk perception and achievability also to be considered

Objectives for Thematic Strategy on Air Pollution ‘achieving levels of air quality that do not give rise to significant negative impacts on and risks to human health and the environment’; (Art 7.1. of 6th EAP) ‘no exceedence of critical loads and levels for acidification or eutrophication’ What is the Thematic Strategy The 6th Environmental Action Programme (Decision 1600/2002/EC) was adopted jointly by the Council and the European Parliament in July 2002. The 6EAP: Obliges the Commission to propose a thematic strategy on air pollution not later than July 2005. States that the Thematic strategy should be coherent and take an integrated approach and ensure linkages through to other environmental areas such as climate change. “a thematic strategy to strengthen a coherent and integrated policy on air pollution to cover priorities for further actions, the review and updating where appropriate of air quality standards and national emission ceilings with a view to reach the long term objective of no-exceedence of critical loads and levels and the development of better systems for gathering information, modelling and forecasting” Art 7 (f) of the 6EAP stipulates that the thematic strategy should achieve levels of air quality that do not give significant negative impact on human health and the environment. This is in line with the Treaty where the objective is to achieve a high degree of environmental protection. However, we do not know exactly how to define “significant” since this is ultimately a political judgement on what is acceptable. requires the thematic strategy to be published by July 2005. Notes A critical load is, for a particular ecosystem, a level of pollution below which the ecosystem ought not to be at significant risk of harm. The 6EAP sets an objective of no exceedence of critical loads for acidification and eutrophication. Excess nitrogen inputs to a given ecosystem which are above the critical load may put the ecosystem at risk of eutrophication. This has implications for biodiversity as many plants succeed in nitrogen deficient environments such that when there is excess nitrogen, plant communities may change in favour of more nitrophillic species.

Long term objectives in policy guidance Environmental effects: acidification, eutrophication and ozone vegetation damage –no exceedence of Critical loads and levels Health effects: NO2 - WHO specific guideline values Ozone – LTO in directive - new information from WHO PM – ? LV, as low as possible, zero impact, background

Present representation of “no effect” level in IAM Environmental effects acidification, eutrophication and ozone vegetation damage no exceedence of Critical loads and levels Health effects NO2 – hotspots and health impact not addressed Ozone – SOMO(35) not being exceeded PM – no mortality impact due to anthropogenic fraction of PM2.5

Interim objectives/targets in IAM - present understanding RAINS to explore the scope of improvement between baseline and maximum (technically) feasible reduction scenario in 2020 Three levels (”high”, ”medium” and ”low”) of environmental ambition Five different dimensions 1) Eutrophication, 2)Acidification, 3) Ozone vegetation damage (on forests) 4) Loss of life expectancy due to PM and 5) deaths brought forward due to ozone

Interim objectives/targets in IAM – Work ahead for CAFE Analyse 15 scenarios (3 ambition levels 5 dimensions and) up to 2020 – cost optimisation Later joint optimisation for 3 ambition levels Later scenario runs for interim years As a basis for TS analyse scenarios where Community action is implemented uniformally (e.g. Euro 5) Advice on additional policy scenarios including the ambition levels to be used in the TS