Clean Air For Europe

Background

In May 2001, the European Commission launched the Clean Air for Europe (CAFE) Programme – a knowledge based approach with technical/scientific analyses and policy development that led to the adoption of the Thematic Strategy on air pollution, fulfilling the requirements of the Sixth Environmental Action Programme. Its aim was to develop a long-term, strategic and integrated policy advice to protect against significant negative effects of air pollution on human health and the environment.

The Thematic Strategy on air pollution was published in September 2005. Within this document, environmental and health objectives were set based on the reduction of impacts relative to the situation in 2000. To achieve these objectives, SO2 emissions need to decrease by 82%, NOx emissions by 60%, VOCs by 51%, ammonia by 27% and primary PM2.5 by 59% relative to emissions in 2000.

The Strategy is now being implemented in various ways, in particular through revisions to the Air Quality Directive, including new standards for PM2.5, and through a revised NECD Directive, with emission ceilings that reflect the Strategy’s objectives.

A significant amount of analysis on the costs and benefits of meeting the Strategy’s objectives was undertaken during the course of the CAFE programme. This website hosts relevant information from the Service Contract for Cost-Benefit Analysis of Air Quality Related Issues, in particular in the Clean Air for Europe (CAFE) Programme. The objective of this work was to establish the capability to assess the costs and benefits of Thematic Strategy objectives and associated air pollution policies.

In combination with IIASA’s GAINS model (emission reduction assessment, abatement costs), the GEM-E3 model (macro-economic impacts) and EMEP (pollution modelling), a framework has been developed for assessing costs and benefits of AQ policy proposals. The PRIMES model is another important model, providing information on national energy balances.

The underlying methodology used in the benefits analysis for quantification and monetisation of impacts in the study is the ‘impact-pathway’ approach, as developed by the US/EC fuel cycle project and advanced in Europe by the ExternE project, shown in the Figure below.

The full methodology for the CBA can be found on the reports page of this website. This is now being used to assess the cost and benefits of proposals for a revised NECD Directive, due to be published prior to the summer of 2008.