Regulating Air Quality: the First Global Assessment of Air Pollution Legislation

This global study assesses national air quality legislation in 194 States and the European Union (EU) against a model of robust air quality governance developed as part of the research. The model is based on the diversity of air quality laws that exist globally, and the nature of air quality as a collective environmental and social problem that requires certain key features in a comprehensive approach to governance. A robust system of air quality governance is one which: • requires governments to develop and regularly review applicable air quality standards in light of public health objectives; • determines institutional responsibility for those standards; • monitors compliance with air quality standards; • defines consequences for failure to meet them; • supports the implementation of air quality standards with appropriate and coordinated air quality plans, regulatory measures and administrative capacity; • is transparent and participatory. The report is primarily concerned with national legislative structures for introducing and implementing air quality standards, while recognizing that the scientific case for setting those standards is likely to change over time. It does not address whether air quality standards are met in practice, but it does address whether legal measures exist for determining whether air quality standards are being met and what legal consequences exist for failure to meet them. This report adds to previous ones on ambient air quality standards (AAQS) with its clear focus on law and legislative structures, and how these make AAQS binding within States