Reducing greenhouse gas and CO₂ emissions is high on the political agenda. And rightly so. However, we currently hear very little about nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides, and particulate matter, which have a demonstrable impact on air quality. And this isn't right.
Fortunately, Koen Smekens, of ECN Policy Studies, is keeping an eye on sustainability issues. “Not all climate plans are necessarily beneficial in terms of emissions of air-polluting substances.”

The broad umbrella of the United Nations includes think tank EGTEI (Expert Group on Techno-Economic Issues). The think tank includes experts from various countries who are jointly delineating the technical options that are available for reducing emissions of environmentally hazardous substances into the air. In its proposal, the group of experts roughly distinguished three variants according to ambitiousness:
• Technically feasible, regardless of the cost (can be utilised in wealthy countries);
• Technically feasible and affordable (can be utilised in former East Block countries);
• Present situation (can be utilised in any country).

Smekens stresses that EGTEI is not concerned with policymaking. “We provide informative material and clear details on causes and effects. Politicians and officials make their choices on the basis of the information we provide. They are the actual policymakers.”
Smekens is currently working hard for EGTEI on a review of the Gothenburg protocol. In 1999 the signatories agreed to reduce acidification and eutrophication in the living environment. “Now, 10 years on, we've been asked for an update, and to provide proposals for new emission level agreements, based on developments that have taken place over the past 10 years.”
This all takes time. The actual task of collecting the information has been completed. He is now halfway through the stage of giving shape to the texts, which have to be sent to the UN in Geneva for discussion in mid-2009. Smekens expects the new Gothenburg Protocol to be completed by late 2010 and that it will be linked to political showdowns. This will be followed by the ratification process. Koen Smekens will be pleasantly surprised with the progress if the final agreements enter into force during the course of 2012.
Smekens can easily explain why a representative of Policy Studies at EGTEI is on the committee rather than someone from Biomass, Coal & Environmental Research. “EGTEI is concerned with emission-reduction technologies and what they cost, as well as the market conditions in which the technologies can be exploited. The data and analyses form the backbone of our database, which is available for participating countries. So it's only logical for ECN Policy Studies to be involved in EGTEI because we have an overview of what's available in the market and what might emerge and why. We're also experts on current regulations and anticipated policy.”

Climate and environment conflict
In principle, EGTEI's database encompasses the world. But policy analyses can be easily conducted on a smaller scale too. For example, Smekens was also involved in the first report of the Policy-oriented Air and Water Research Programme (BOLK), which was published in October last year. Dutch researchers demonstrate in the report that some climate measures cause sharp local increases in air-polluting emissions.
Smekens uses an example of capturing and storing CO₂ (CCS technology) to show how the unexpected can occur. “If the Netherlands brings CCS technology to maturity, there's a likelihood of power companies being attracted here to build coal-fired power stations with CO₂ capture. That's understandable because of the proximity to the sea which makes it easier to transport coal and cooling water. And the CO₂ disappears safely underground into former gas fields which are so abundant here. That would be fantastic wouldn't it? The Netherlands will become a producer of climate-friendly electricity. But watch out! It's true there's no problem as far as climate policy is concerned. The plume of smoke rising up from the chimneys might not contain CO₂ but it could contain extra nitrogen oxides and other unwanted substances. So, before you realise it, a sustainable climate plan can make it more difficult to achieve the goals of an existing environmental plan.”
The Policy-oriented Air and Water Research Programme shows that an integrated policy analysis is an excellent instrument for developing sustainable energy technology. It's essential to have a proper, clear understanding of the climate and air policy. Smekens: “The Dutch government was very pleased with this report. The integrated policy analysis is attracting international interest too. Even the New York Times wrote about it.”

Biofuels
Smekens gives an example of a climate plan with environmental consequences that were not immediately obvious. “Governments in many countries sketched out a policy for partially replacing fossil fuels with biofuels. When used for cars, diesel fuel made from biomass emits CO₂ that was recently taken from the air by trees and plants. So the biodiesel is ‘climate neutral’ as far as CO₂ levels are concerned. The reasoning is sound. But we look at emissions of all kinds of substances into the air throughout the chain. Farmers cultivating biomass may use artificial fertilizer or manure to increase the yield, with all the air pollution consequences that entails. It means a government runs the risk of undermining its own achievements.” There are also uncertainties about NO_x and fine particulate emissions from vehicles that run on biofuels. Smekens: “Analysing issues like these enables the Policy-oriented Air and Water Research Programme to provide a better understanding of the broader environmental consequences of a given technological approach to the climate problem. What's the point of achieving climate objectives and at the same time exceeding the permitted level for nitrogen emissions?”

Contact
Koen Smekens
ECN Policy Studies
Tel.: +31 22 456 4861
E-mail: Koen Smekens

Info
Click HERE to read or download the Policy-oriented Air and Water Research Programme report (in Dutch only).

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