Global Air Pollution: Strategies For A Cleaner Future

Air pollution is one of the most pressing environmental issues facing the world today, with around seven million people dying prematurely each year as a result. It is a complex problem that requires a range of solutions, from phasing out fossil fuels to improving public transport and encouraging the use of electric vehicles.

The latest IPCC report states that there is no room for any fossil fuel developments if we are to reach net-zero emissions. Despite this, not all countries are on board with phasing out fossil fuels, and some have no intention of doing so. In the meantime, strategies such as the US Environmental Protection Agency's Good Neighbor plan aim to cut interstate smog pollution from power stations by requiring them to operate their pollution control equipment and keep their daily emissions under a pre-established limit.

Transport accounts for approximately one-fifth of global carbon dioxide emissions, and this is expected to grow significantly over the next 30 years. One way to reduce emissions from transport is to switch to electric vehicles (EVs). The cost of EV batteries has declined by 90% in recent years, and Shenzhen, China, has already switched from diesel-powered public transportation to an electric bus fleet, resulting in a significant reduction in particulate matter and CO2 emissions.

Another way to reduce air pollution is to improve public transport and encourage active travel, such as cycling. Many cities, including Paris, Delhi, Freiburg, Copenhagen, Oslo, Helsinki, Zurich, and Curitiba, have implemented measures such as car-free zones, congestion charges, and improved public transport systems to reduce traffic and improve air quality.

In addition to reducing emissions from power plants and transport, there is a need to address emissions from agriculture, which accounts for 31% of human-caused GHG emissions. This includes reducing the excessive use of fertilisers, improving irrigation methods, and modifying the diets of livestock.

Carbon tax systems have also been implemented in 27 countries as a way to incentivise polluters to lower emissions or switch to more efficient processes and cleaner fuels.

By implementing a range of policies and initiatives, it is possible to reduce air pollution and improve health and climate outcomes globally.

Phase out fossil fuels

Phasing out fossil fuels is a gradual process that involves reducing the use and production of fossil fuels to zero. This is necessary to reduce deaths and illnesses caused by air pollution, limit climate change, and strengthen energy independence.

Transition to Renewable Energy Sources

The transition to renewable energy sources such as electrification, green hydrogen, and biofuel is crucial. This involves replacing fossil fuels in sectors such as transport and heating with sustainable alternatives. This strategy not only reduces fossil fuel consumption but also accelerates the pace of the energy transition and emission reductions.

Ban Fossil Fuel Vehicles

Banning or discouraging the sale and use of fossil fuel vehicles is an important step. Many countries and cities have already committed to banning the sale of passenger vehicles powered by fossil fuels such as petrol, diesel, and liquefied petroleum gas. This includes implementing zero-emission zones in cities and offering incentives for electric vehicles, such as subsidies or tax breaks.

Phase Out Fossil Fuel Power Plants

Phasing out fossil fuel power plants, especially coal-fired power stations, is essential. This involves shutting down existing plants and preventing the construction of new ones. Additionally, it requires transitioning to renewable energy sources for electricity generation, such as solar, wind, and hydropower.

Address Agricultural Practices

Agricultural activities contribute significantly to air pollution, particularly through the use of fertilisers and intensive farming methods. By adopting more sustainable agricultural practices, such as nitrate-based fertilisers and efficient water management, the impact of the agricultural sector on air pollution can be reduced.

Implement Carbon Tax and Phase Out Fossil Fuel Subsidies

Implementing a carbon tax can incentivise companies to reduce emissions or switch to cleaner fuels. Additionally, phasing out fossil fuel subsidies can help address the climate crisis and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This strategy should be carefully implemented to avoid negative impacts on vulnerable communities.

International Cooperation

Global coordination and collaboration are vital to ensure a successful transition away from fossil fuels. Countries must work together to facilitate the transition to renewable energy, share technological advancements, and provide support for developing nations.

By implementing these strategies, the world can significantly reduce air pollution, mitigate climate change, and improve public health on a global scale.

Decarbonise the transport sector

Transport accounts for approximately one-fifth of global carbon dioxide emissions, or 8 billion tonnes, and these emissions are expected to grow significantly over the next 30 years as transport demand increases.

One of the most important technologies for decarbonising the transport sector is electric vehicles (EVs). Sales of EVs are predicted to reach up to 35% of the global market in 2030, and costs of EV batteries have declined by 90% over the last decade. Despite being a much better alternative to fossil fuel vehicles, the electrification of the transport sector has a dark side. Producing EV batteries requires greater resource extraction, which has substantial destructive consequences for the environment and local communities. However, EV companies are building a more sustainable supply chain by improving the efficiency and lifespan of batteries, researching ways to build them using other resources, and recycling old batteries to reuse raw materials.

Another way to lower the carbon footprint of the transport sector is to change the way we travel. Opting for public transport, car-sharing, and prioritising rail and marine vessels over trucks can all help to reduce emissions.

Emissions can also be reduced by using fuels with a minimal carbon footprint, such as biofuels, renewable natural gas, hydrogen, and sustainable aviation fuel.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the US, there are three methods to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation:

• Increase the efficiency of vehicle technology.
• Switch to electric vehicles.
• Implement tighter fuel and vehicle emission standards.

As part of its targets to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by 50% in 2030, the US is taking several sector-specific reduction pathways. The Biden administration is working on incentives for zero-emission personal vehicles, funding for charging infrastructure, and support for research in low-carbon, new-generation renewable fuels.

Similarly, the European Union is encouraging the production of greener vehicles and has recently strengthened the CO2 standards for cars and vans to facilitate its phase-out of internal combustion engines.

Adopt a more sustainable approach to agriculture

Sustainable agriculture is a system that enables farms of all sizes to be profitable and contribute to their local economies. It is environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable. Here are some ways to adopt a more sustainable approach to agriculture:

• Crop rotation and diversity: Planting a variety of crops can improve soil health and pest control. Practices include intercropping and complex multiyear crop rotations.
• Cover crops and perennials: Cover crops such as clover, rye, or hairy vetch are planted during off-season times, while perennials keep soil covered and maintain living roots year-round. These crops protect and build soil health by preventing erosion, replenishing soil nutrients, and keeping weeds in check, reducing the need for fertilizers and herbicides.
• Reduced tillage: No-till or reduced-till methods, which involve inserting seeds directly into undisturbed soil, can reduce erosion and improve soil health.
• Integrated pest management: A range of methods, including mechanical and biological controls, can be applied systematically to keep pest populations under control while minimizing the use of chemical pesticides.
• Integrating livestock and crops: Evidence shows that integrating crop and animal production can make farms more efficient and profitable.
• Adopting agroforestry practices: Mixing trees or shrubs into farming operations can provide shade and shelter that protect plants, animals, and water resources, while also offering additional income from fruit or nut crops.
• Managing whole systems and landscapes: Sustainable farms treat uncultivated or less intensively cultivated areas as integral to the farm. Natural vegetation alongside streams, or strips of prairie plants within or around crop fields, can help control erosion, reduce nutrient runoff, and support bees and other pollinators and biodiversity in general.
• Minimize air and water pollution: Sustainable agriculture aims to minimize air and water pollution by reducing the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, which can poison freshwater, marine ecosystems, air, and soil.
• Storing carbon on farms: Sustainable agriculture can help stabilize and sequester carbon in vegetation and soils, contributing to climate change mitigation.
• Promoting biodiversity: By preserving and restoring critical habitats and protecting watersheds, sustainable agriculture can promote biodiversity and provide habitat for a multitude of species.
• Reducing emissions from fertilizer use: Techniques such as nitrification inhibitors, microbes that allow crops to fix their own nitrogen, and more precise fertilizer management can help reduce emissions from fertilizer use.
• Supporting on-farm renewable energy and energy efficiency: Improving equipment and increasing energy efficiency in farm buildings can reduce fuel use and emissions while saving farmers money.

Introduce a carbon tax system

A carbon tax is a government-imposed pricing mechanism that places a fee or tax on GHG emissions from burning planet-warming fuels, including oil, gas, and coal. The tax is measured per ton of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions released and needs to be paid by the burning entity.

A carbon tax is an upstream approach focused on taxing major fossil fuel suppliers and distributors higher up in the supply chain. This allows costs to be passed downstream through oil companies to consumers at fuel pumps, on utility bills, and implicitly in prices of goods and services across the economy.

The core principle behind an effective carbon tax is that it sets a stable, rising price trajectory high enough to drive meaningful emissions reductions and the scaling of clean technologies over time. To enable the necessary transition away from a high-emitting economy, tax levels would need to reach US$100-200 per ton of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) in the next decades.

A carbon tax differs from a cap-and-trade program in that it provides a higher level of certainty about cost, but not about the level of emission reduction to be achieved (cap and trade does the inverse).

Under a carbon tax, the government sets a price that emitters must pay for each ton of greenhouse gas emissions they emit. Businesses and consumers will take steps, such as switching fuels or adopting new technologies, to reduce their emissions to avoid paying the tax.

Who has implemented it?

A number of countries, regions, and local governments around the world have implemented a carbon tax or something similar, like an energy tax related to carbon content. As of 2024, 37 carbon tax programs have been implemented across the world. For example, British Columbia has had a carbon tax since 2008, and South Africa became the first African country to implement a carbon tax in 2019.

• Reduce carbon emissions: The core purpose of a carbon tax is to provide market signals strong enough to result in reduced GHG emissions across large sections of the economy. By attaching a significant price to pollution, it incentivises shifts towards less carbon-intensive fuels, deployment of energy efficiency measures, and investment in clean alternatives across sectors like electricity, transportation, and manufacturing.
• Mitigate climate change: The decrease in national and global carbon emissions caused by carbon taxes will lead to lower overall CO2 concentrations, intensifying warming trends and climate disruptions.
• Encourage clean energy adoption: Fossil fuel taxation is a key policy instrument to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote shifts to renewable energy and other low-carbon solutions.
• Fund green initiatives: Revenues from carbon taxes provide a sizeable funding pool that governments can utilise for investments in clean technology R&D, mass public transit upgrades, sustainable infrastructure projects, environmental restoration efforts, and resilience funds for vulnerable groups.
• Market-based approach: Rather than impose rigid regulations or emission limits, a carbon tax provides price signals and lets market dynamics determine the most efficient paths and technologies to reduce emissions across diverse economic sectors.
• Revenue-neutral options: To address concerns about increasing taxes and expanding government revenue, some carbon tax laws require that all direct proceeds from the carbon pricing system be returned to the source jurisdiction.
• Administrative efficiency: A carbon tax builds on existing fuel taxation systems, minimising new administrative bureaucracy. Costs of revenue collection and implementation are very low relative to emissions trading programs or green subsidy management.

• Regressive nature: A flat, uniform carbon tax can disproportionately impact lower-income groups who spend a higher share of earnings on energy bills and basic goods carrying embedded carbon costs.
• Uncertainty around emissions impact: Projecting precise emissions reductions from any given tax level involves estimating complex, interconnected behavioural changes across millions of energy consumers. Model forecast studies to guide rate-setting have limitations.
• Political and public opposition: In regions with influential fossil fuel lobbies or high use of coal, oil, and gas, major political and public opposition hinders carbon tax proposals. Lawsuits, repeal of laws, election defeats for supporters, and widespread protests against fuel taxes show the difficulty of stakeholder alignment.
• Risks to competitiveness and leakage: Major energy-using industries often oppose carbon taxes, arguing they raise costs and undermine competitiveness, especially if nearby regions lack similar policies. Manufacturing could shift abroad, raising "carbon leakage" concerns.
• Complex policy design: Choosing appropriate, adjustable tax levels, matching policy priorities, and economic diversity is very complex across emissions-intensive sectors. Cost uncertainty creates opposition, and exemptions degrade efficacy.
• Other policies could be more effective: Some economists argue that direct spending on mass electric vehicle (EV) adoption, renewable energy investments, infrastructure upgrades, and resilience funds can achieve greater short-term emission cuts rapidly rather than hoping price signals incentivise consumers and businesses fast enough.

Tackle climate change

The best way to reduce air pollution is to tackle the climate crisis. Climate change and air pollution are closely intertwined, and both have similar causes and effects. The climate crisis cannot be left out of the equation when it comes to reducing air pollution. Effective efforts to tackle climate change would significantly reduce deforestation and wildfires, two of the main sources of air pollution.

To tackle climate change, governments should adopt a wide range of policies that regulate all polluting industries, from energy production to transportation and agriculture.

Phase out fossil fuels

One of the most effective strategies to reduce air pollution is to phase out fossil fuels. This includes shifting to other energy sources like nuclear and renewables. While this can be a long and complicated process that requires global coordination and collaboration, it is crucial in reducing air pollution.

Decarbonise the transport sector

Transport accounts for approximately one-fifth of global carbon dioxide emissions, and these emissions are expected to grow significantly in the coming decades. To decarbonise the transport sector, governments can encourage the use of electric vehicles, improve fuel efficiency, and promote public transportation and car-sharing. Additionally, using fuels with a minimal carbon footprint, such as biofuels, renewable natural gas, and hydrogen, can also help reduce emissions.

Adopt sustainable agriculture practices

The world's agri-food systems contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, so adopting more sustainable agricultural practices is crucial. This includes reducing the excessive use of fertilisers, improving water efficiency through drip irrigation, and modifying the diets of livestock to reduce methane emissions.

Implement a carbon tax

A carbon tax is a way to incentivise polluters to lower emissions or switch to more efficient processes and cleaner fuels. By imposing a tax on greenhouse gas emissions, governments can reduce both air pollution and greenhouse gases generated from the same human activities.

Improve air quality

Improving air quality can also help tackle climate change. This includes phasing out the use of coal and other fossil fuels, such as tar and lignite, for power generation. Additionally, uncontrolled waste incineration and crop burning are significant sources of air pollution and climate change, so preventing these practices can have a positive impact on both issues.

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