EPA - Ireland's Environment, An Integrated Assessment - 2020

Ireland’s Environment – An Integrated Assessment 2020 United Nations Energy – Related Policy Development The dangers of smoke and fumes from energy-related combustion have been known for a long time, with various ventilation systems being used to reduce immediate impacts. These issues became more critical during the 20th century, when the impacts of smog on human health and mortality resulted in air quality policies being adopted at city or national levels (Chapter 3). In the 1970s the impacts of sulphur and other emissions at a continental scale resulted in the first international convention to address these impacts (i.e. the 1979 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution; UNECE, 1979). It initially focused on acidification linked to sulphur produced by coal combustion and its impacts but has evolved to address wider issues, including particulate matter (PM), ozone, POPs and heavy metals. The global impacts of fossil emissions of GHGs were addressed in the 1992 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC, 1992). Actions were advanced under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, in which developed nations agreed to reduce their emissions of key GHGs. The 2015 Paris Agreement has global reach and aims to reduce GHG emissions to net zero during this century. The 2013 Minamata Convention (UNEP, 2013) addresses the global impacts of mercury release, including that from fossil fuel combustion. Related EU policies are outlined in Chapters 2 and 3. These conventions and protocols inform and frame EU and national energy policy. In addition, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, adopted in 2015, include targets to increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix and to promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technology. 308