UN air pollution protocol gets green light

Environment Daily 1834, 04/03/05

Recent ratification by Portugal means that the Gothenburg protocol on tackling air pollution now has enough signatories to enter force.  The UN economic commission for Europe (UNECE) announced this week that the protocol will be effective from 16 May.

The protocol sets limits for emissions of sulphur dioxide (SOx), nitrogen oxide (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and ammonia (NH3).  It will not have a great effect on EU member states since all 25 are already subject to equivalent or stricter emissions standards under Europe's national emissions ceilings directive.

* Meanwhile a new fund boosting levels of compensation available to victims of oil tanker pollution came into force on Thursday.  The supplementary International oil pollution compensation (IOPC) has been ratified by seven EU states, plus Norway and Japan.

Follow-up: UNECE http://www.unece.org/, tel: +41 22 917 2370,

plus press releases from UNECE http://www.unece.org/press/pr2005/05env_p02e.htm

and IMO http://www.imo.org/Newsroom/mainframe.asp?topic_id=1018&doc_id=4720.