Convention
on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution
The 1979 Geneva Convention on Long-range Transboundary
Air Pollution
The Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution is one of
the central means for protecting our environment. It has, over the years,
served as a bridge between different political systems and as a factor
of stability in years of political change. It has substantially contributed
to the development of international environmental law and has created
the essential framework for controlling and reducing the damage to human
health and the environment caused by transboundary air pollution. It
is a successful example of what can be achieved through intergovernmental
cooperation.
The history of the Convention can be traced back to the 1960s, when
scientists demonstrated the interrelationship between sulphur emissions
in continental Europe and the acidification of Scandinavian lakes. The
1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm
signalled the start for active international cooperation to combat acidification.
Between 1972 and 1977 several studies confirmed the hypothesis that
air pollutants could travel several thousands of kilometres before deposition
and damage occurred. This also implied that cooperation at the international
level was necessary to solve problems such as acidification.
In response to these acute problems, a High-level Meeting within the
Framework of the ECE on the Protection of the Environment was held at
ministerial level in November 1979 in Geneva. It resulted in the signature
of the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution by 34 Governments
and the European Community (EC). The Convention was the first international
legally binding instrument to deal with problems of air pollution on
a broad regional basis. Besides laying down the general principles of
international cooperation for air pollution abatement, the Convention
sets up an institutional framework bringing together research and policy.
The Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution entered into
force in 1983. It has been extended by eight
specific protocols.