Summary

On 7-8 October 2024, the Nordic Working Group for Climate and Air (NKL) organised the Nordic Air Pollution Workshop with the objective to outline future directions and priorities for Nordic cooperation on air pollution. The workshop was held in Copenhagen and gathered around 30 participants from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

Nordic collaboration under the Nordic Council of Ministers (NCM) has for decades been successful in developing air pollution science and policies. Both for the Nordic countries themselves as well as for the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP/Air Convention) and the European Union. Decisions under the Air Convention and the European Union has large impact on Nordic air pollution.

Together with the presentations, the active and constructive discussions at the workshop form the basis for the proposals and conclusions presented in this report.

The report has been written by the workshop moderators reflecting the discussions at the workshop. The content does not necessarily reflect the view, opinions or recommendations of Nordic Council of Ministers’.

Proposed projects and other initiatives

The following project ideas/initiatives are proposed to be considered as activities that could fully or partly be coordinated and funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers for the period up to 2030. The presentation of project ideas/initiatives is grouped in accordance with the five discussion themes of the workshop:

Clean Air – Regionally and Globally,

Clean Air – for Cities and Societies,

Clean Air – Ecosystems & Climate,

Clean Air – Emission sectors,

Clean Air – Efficient Communication.

More detailed descriptions of the proposed project/initiatives, their Nordic dimension, as well as potential target groups for the outcome of these, are given in the main part of the report.

Clean Air – Regionally and Globally

The Nordic cooperation on air quality should aim to:

Support the use of structural measures (such as dietary changes) in decision-support models.
Stress the importance of using the effects-based approach during policy discussions.
Enhance Nordic cooperation on how to best implement the monitoring requirements of the EU Air Quality Directive.
Strengthen the Nordic engagement in the Air Convention’s Forum for International Cooperation on Air Pollution (FICAP).
Harmonize and improve ecosystems reporting.
Encourage more monitoring, chemical transport modelling, and epidemiological research on ultra-fine particles (UFP) and black carbon (BC).
Support the revision process of the Gothenburg Protocol, especially on abatement of ammonia from the agricultural sector.

Clean Air – for Cities and Societies

The Nordic cooperation on air quality should aim to:

Ensure continued air quality monitoring even when concentrations of air pollutants are below WHO 2021 guideline values.
Ensure that Nordic countries take leadership on setting ambitious (zero) emission targets for air pollution.
Review existing Nordic evidence on health effects in low-pollution environments.
Maximise Nordic benefits of current EU projects on air pollution and health.
Produce Nordic guidelines for city development respecting the citizens right to clean air.
Clarify the economic value of air quality-related ecosystem services in cities.

Clean Air – Ecosystems and Climate

The Nordic cooperation on air quality should aim to:

Ensure the continuity of ecosystems monitoring.
Further develop exposure and valuation metrics for biodiversity.
Promote better exchange of knowledge between air pollution scientists and relevant working groups supporting the IPCC and CBD.
Encourage integrated nitrogen-carbon management approaches.
Assess effects of ozone on (semi)natural ecosystems.

Clean Air – Emission Sectors

The Nordic cooperation on air quality should aim to:

Agriculture

Strengthen nitrogen policies by including structural measures such as dietary change (for example reduced meat consumption).
Develop and improve knowledge sharing on agricultural emission abatement measures.
Ensure the application of integrated approaches to nitrogen management.

Residential wood-burning

Clarify opportunities and challenges with (temporal) bans on residential wood-burning in cities.
Promote Nordic information sharing on ways to reduce emissions.
Improve the knowledge on regional and time-dependent factors affecting health effects from residential wood combustion.
Clarify to what extent residential wood combustion affects BaP emissions.

Shipping

Promote Nordic collaboration on alternative fuels and propulsion systems.
Provide Nordic leadership on ship emissions abatement.
Support the expansion of Emission Control Areas to all sea areas around Europe.
Support a revision of the IMO’s NOx standards for ships.

Clean Air – Efficient Communication

The Nordic cooperation on air quality should aim to:

Ensure better access to air quality forecasts for Nordic municipalities and citizens.
Link air quality forecasts with well-thought out ‘action advice’ for citizens.
Clarify that air quality has improved over time, but that more needs to be done.
Raise the profile of nature protection.
Ensure public information on air quality.