Air Pollution law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Air Pollution law - Essay Example 30 billion (Colls 2002: p.1). One can agree with Colls (2002) who asserts, â€Å"Clearly we are paying a high price, both in lives and money, for polluting the atmosphere† (p.1). That’s why authorities and non-governmental organisations of all levels, from local to international, strive to establish regulations, standards and decision-making procedures for air pollution control. This paper is aimed to present an overview of major regulations in the air pollution control area at three levels: the world, the European Union and the United Kingdom. The overview will help to better understand similarities and differences in air pollution control on global and local scopes, as well as to trace the development of air pollution legislation. The first section introduces a concept of air pollution and gives a brief overview of its causes and effects, focusing mainly on hazards for health and environment. The following three sections describe current air pollution regulations, the ir predecessors and trends for the future development at the international level, in the EU and in the UK accordingly. In conclusion, the main points are summarised. 1. Air pollution, its causes and effects Air pollution was recognised as one of the major worldwide environmental problems in 1970s (UNECE 2004). In a broad sense pollution can be defined as â€Å"the introduction by man into the environment of substances or energy liable to cause hazard to human health, harm to living resources and ecological systems, damage to structure or amenity or interference with legitimate use of the environment† (Colls 2002: 1). The definition emphasises a determinative role of man in air pollution – only substances, which arise from people’s activities are counted as pollution; gases and chemicals produced in air naturally (e.g. from volcanoes or as a result of the vegetation decay) are not considered to be pollutants. The nature and intensity of people’s activities , the type of used chemicals and the surrounding meteorological conditions determine the composition and concentration of pollutants. It is widely acknowledged that motor vehicles produce the most toxic gases, and they are considered as the major source of outdoor air pollution. Outdoor air pollution is also caused by activities of industrial and commercial production plants, coal-fired power stations, cargo transports and other activities related to smoke and gas emission. Indoor air pollution is no less hazardous, in particular, in developing countries, where coal and biomass fuels are still widely used in homes for heating and cooking. According to WHO (2008), the air pollution level in such homes may be 10-50 times higher than maximum allowable values. Among pollutants having the most severe impact on health and environment are: â€Å"hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM), sulfur dioxide (SO2), ozone, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), hydrogen sulfide (H2S)† (Clean Air World, n.d.). WHOE (2006) considers airborne fine dust, known as particulate matter (PM), as a very hazardous pollutant, which can be either emitted directly to the air or formed as a result of chemical reactions of certain gases (e.g. sulphur dioxide or ammonia (NH3)). There are also greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide