ADDRESSING AIR POLLUTION IN CANADA - Air Convention webinar with Argentina August 27, 2019 - unece
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ADDRESSING AIR POLLUTION IN CANADA Air Convention webinar with Argentina August 27, 2019
ADDRESSING AIR POLLUTION
IS A PRIORITY FOR CANADA
• Air pollution has significant impacts in Canada on the environment and health:
– Contributes to pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases even at low concentrations – no
threshold safe level for PM2.5 and ozone
– Sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and PM2.5 contribute to acidification, and threaten fresh
water biodiversity, forest ecosystems, agriculture, and infrastructure
– 14,600 deaths per year in Canada are attributed to air pollution from human sources in
North America
– The total economic cost of the health impacts attributable to air pollution is $114B per
year
• Government of Canada’s air quality program:
– Science, reporting and analysis
– Implementation of Canada’s Air Quality Management System (AQMS)
– International engagement
▪ Scientific and technical cooperation with international governments and other partners informs
development of domestic air quality measures
▪ Bilateral and multilateral engagement and agreements help address long range air pollution
impacting Canada
– Other actions
▪ Strategy on Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (2017)
▪ Canada’s Chemicals Management Plan
▪ Transportation regulations (e.g., air and rail), etc.)
2
AIR QUALITY IN CANADA
• Air quality can vary significantly across Canada:
Ambient PM2.5 levels for 2014-16
– Due to proximity, the US has a significant impact on
compared to the annual PM2.5 CAAQS for 2020
Canada’s air quality
– Canada’s Arctic is particularly sensitive to domestic and
long-range air pollution due to concentration of
contaminants and effects on environment
– Wet and dry acid deposition continues to impact eastern
and western provinces
• Emissions of key air pollutants have decreased
significantly; some by more than half since the mid-
1990s, while others continue to increase (PM2.5 and
ammonia)
• Despite progress, more than 20% of Canadians live in
areas where PM2.5 and ozone concentrations exceed
the CAAQS
Ambient ozone levels for 2014-16
compared to the 8-hour Ozone CAAQS for 2020
3
AIR MANAGEMENT IN CANADA:
A SHARED JURISDICTION
• Air quality management in Canada is a shared responsibility, and collaborative effort
between the Federal government and provinces and territories.
• Federal government has authority to address air pollution under the Canadian
Environmental Protection Act, 1999
– Managing key air pollutants: ozone, PM, NOx, SO2, ammonia, and VOCs
– Existing regulations and other measures apply to:
▪ Emissions from a wide range of on-road and off-road vehicles and engines
▪ Transportation fuels
▪ Certain consumer and commercial products (e.g., volatile organic compounds from
solvents and paints)
▪ Some industrial sources
– Transboundary air pollution, including international air pollution and pollution
crossing provincial/territorial boundaries
• Provinces/Territories regulate or otherwise control air pollution through their authority
over resource development and industry
4
THE AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT
SYSTEM (AQMS) IN CANADA
• Implementation of the Air Quality
Management System (AQMS) is a highly
collaborative process between Federal
Government and Provinces / Territories
– AQMS developed through Federal / Provincial
/ Territorial Forum : Canadian Council of
Ministers of the Environment
• Comprehensive and cross-Canada
framework for collaborative actions to
improve air quality
• Goal is continuous improvement of air quality
to protect human health and the environment
• Reflects shared Federal-Provincial-Territorial
jurisdiction over air pollution
• Levels of government have very clear
responsibilities for implementation
• Implementation is supported by extensive
science, including research, modelling and
monitoring
5
KEY ELEMENTS OF THE AQMS
• Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standards (CAAQS): Drive air quality improvement
across Canada; provide reference points for measuring progress and taking action
• Base-level Industrial Emissions Requirements (BLIERs): Emission standards for major
sectors and equipment types, developed using a consensus process and meant to be
codified in federal instruments to ensure all facilities achieve good “base level” of
performance
• Regional Airsheds: For coordinating action on transboundary air pollution
• Provincial and Territorial Action: P/Ts manage emissions to attain the CAAQS within
delineated air zones; could include setting limits more stringent than the BLIERs
• Mobile Sources Working Group: Mechanism for collaborating to reduce vehicle
emissions
• Monitoring and Reporting: ECCC leads and collaborates on monitoring to provide
information in support of understanding ambient air pollution levels; P/Ts publish annual
reports on air quality in air zones; ECCC leads national State of the Air Report
6
AQMS:
AIR ZONES AND AIRSHEDS
7AQMS: CANADIAN AMBIENT
AIR QUALITY STANDARDS
• Federal government leads the development of Canadian Ambient Air Quality
Standards (CAAQS)
• Established as environmental quality objectives under the Canadian Environmental
Protection Act, 1999, underpinned by management levels
• Much more stringent than previous National Ambient Air Quality Objectives (NAAQO) for SO2
and NO2 established in 1989
• Developed through collaborative process that included representation from Indigenous
Peoples’, industry, and health and environmental non-governmental organizations
• Current Status
• CAAQS for PM2.5 and ozone were established in 2013 for 2015 and 2020
• CAAQS for sulphur dioxide (SO2) were published on October 28, 2017 for 2020 and 2025
• CAAQS for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) were published on December 9, 2017 for 2020 and 2025
• New, revised CAAQS for ozone (O3) will be published soon
• Review of standards and management levels approximately every 5 years
– Review of CAAQS for PM2.5 currently underway
89
AQMS: CURRENT CAAQS
Standard
Averaging (numerical value)
Pollutant Statistical form of the standard
time Effective in Effective in Effective in
2015 2020 2025
The 3-year average of the annual 4th highest of the
Ozone 8-hour 63 ppb 62 ppb 60 ppb daily- maximum 8-hour average concentrations.
Under The 3-year average of the annual 98th percentile of the
24-hour 28 µg/m3 27 µg/m3
Fine particulate review daily 24-hour average concentrations.
matter (PM2.5) Under The 3-year average of the annual average of the daily
Annual 10.0 µg/m3 8.8 µg/m3
review 24-hour average concentrations.
The 3-year average of the annual 99th percentile of the
1-hour -- 70 ppb 65 ppb daily-maximum 1-hour average concentrations.
Sulphur Dioxide
(SO2)
The arithmetic average over a single calendar year of
Annual -- 5.0 ppb 4.0 ppb
all 1-hour average concentrations.
The 3-year average of the annual 98th percentile of the
1-hour -- 60 ppb 42 ppb daily-maximum 1-hour average concentrations.
Nitrogen
Dioxide (NO2)
The arithmetic average over a single calendar year of
Annual -- 17.0 ppb 12.0 ppb
all 1-hour average concentrations.AQMS: MANAGEMENT LEVELS
FOR CAAQS
Management Level and • CAAQS are not “pollute-up-to” levels;
Objective
they are underpinned by a system of
RED
To reduce pollutant levels below the
four colour-coded air zone
CAAQS through advanced air management levels
management actions require progressively more rigorous
ORANGE actions to be implemented in local air
To improve air quality through active air zones as air quality levels approach
management and prevent an
or exceed the CAAQS
exceedance of the CAAQS
YELLOW • Provinces and territories are
To improve air quality using early and responsible for reporting on CAAQS
ongoing actions for continuous achievement and on the applicable
improvement
management actions
GREEN
To maintain good air quality through • Federal government develops
proactive air management measures to guidance to assist provinces/
keep clean areas clean
territories in air zone management
10AQMS: FEDERAL GUIDANCE
FOR CAAQS IMPLEMENTATION
• A number of guidance documents are undergoing final CCME approval,
expected to be published in near future:
CAAQS Achievement Determination (for SO2 and NO2)
• Provides methods and procedures for evaluating CAAQS achievement in
air zones
Air Zone Management
• Assist governments in managing air quality within air zones
• Will apply to all CAAQS air pollutants
Transboundary Flows and Exceptional Events
• Provide guidance on the procedures to:
– Demonstrate the influence from transboundary flows and exceptional events
– Remove the influenced monitoring data and recalculate the air zone management
levels
• Will apply to all CAAQS air pollutants
11AQMS: BASE-LEVEL INDUSTRIAL
EMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS
• Base-Level Industrial Emission Requirements (BLIERs) - meant to ensure a
consistent good “base level” of performance with respect to certain air
pollutants from industrial sources across the country
• A significant number have been developed for several sectors and equipment
types
– Pollutants addressed vary by sector or piece of equipment (NOX, SO2, TPM, PM2.5, VOCs,
PAHs)
• Federal government has the responsibility to establish the BLIERs in
regulatory or non-regulatory instruments
– Intended to function as a backstop in situations where a province or territory does not put in
place adequate measures to implement the BLIERs or when facilities do not comply
– The federal Multi-Sector Air Pollutants Regulations (2016) include mandatory national air
pollutant standards. It covers boilers, heaters and engines as well as cement sector
– Expected to reduce NOx emissions by ~2,000 kT during the first 19 years
– Since 2016, non-regulatory instruments for a variety of industrial sectors and equipment
groups to address NOx, SO2, VOCs, PM, and PM2.5 have been put in place
12AQMS: BLIERS SECTORS AND
EQUIPMENT TYPES
• Sectors • Equipment
– Aluminum and alumina – Boilers and heaters
– Base metal smelters – Combustion turbines
– Cement* – Reciprocating engines
– Chemicals*
– Coal fired electricity
– Iron and steel
– Nitrogen fertilizers*
– Oil sands*
– Petroleum refining*
– Potash
– Pulp and paper
– Iron ore pelletization
– Upstream oil and gas*
– VOCs from hydrocarbons
*Still under consideration/development
13OTHER KEY FEDERAL
MEASURES
• Proposed Regulations Respecting Reduction in the Release of Volatile
Organic Compounds (Petroleum Sector) in 2017
• Regulations Respecting Reduction in the Release of Methane and Certain
Volatile Organic Compounds (Upstream Oil and Gas Sector) in 2018
– Including oil-sands upgraders
• Amendments to the coal-fired electricity regulations (2018) and the natural-
gas-fired electricity regulations (2019)
– Coal-fired electricity regulations accelerate the phase-out of traditional coal-fired
units to 2030
• Coal-fired electricity generating units are important sources of GHGs and air pollutants
in Canada
– Account for nearly 24% of total national emissions of sulphur oxides, 8% of nitrogen oxides, and
18% of mercury
– Natural-gas-fired electricity regulations impose performance standards (CO2
emission intensity-based limits) on new and significantly modified natural gas-
fired electricity generating units, including combustion engines and boiler units
14OTHER KEY FEDERAL
MEASURES: MOBILE SOURCES
• Efforts to encourage deployment of zero-emission vehicles
– Policy targets: 10% of sales by 2025, 30% by 2030 and 100% by 2040
– $130M to support charging and hydrogen refuelling infrastructure
– $300M to support federal incentives of up to $5,000 towards the purchase of zero-
emission vehicles
– Full tax write-off for businesses purchasing zero-emission vehicles
• Continuing regulatory program to reduce air pollutants from vehicles
and engines
– Driver: Canada-U.S. Air Quality Agreement
– Administering range of regulations to limit emissions from on-road and off-road
vehicles and engines, in alignment with the U.S.
– Recent development: publication in March 2019 of proposed new emission
standards for gasoline, natural gas and propane engines used to power forklifts,
generators and some farm, industrial and construction machines
• Starting with the 2021 model year
• Would incorporate U.S. Tier 2 exhaust emission standards for HC+NOx and
CO, and standards for evaporative emissions
15OTHER KEY FEDERAL MEASURES:
STRATEGY ON SLCPS
• Strategy on Short-Lived Climate Pollutants
(SLCPs) published in July 2017
• SLCPs are:
• Greenhouse gases and air pollutants…
• With relatively short atmospheric lifetimes…
• … And warming impact on climate and affect air
quality and health
• Reducing emissions of SLCPs results in
near-term climate benefits, as well as
immediate health benefits from improved
air quality
• It will guide future actions to monitor and
reduce:
• Black carbon
• Methane
• Ground-level ozone
• Hydroflurocarbons
http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2018/eccc/En4-299-2017-eng.pdf 16CANADA’S INTERNATIONAL
ENGAGEMENT ON AIR POLLUTION
• Engage bilaterally or multilaterally in initiatives in key areas that aim to address
transboundary air pollution or SLCPs, or that work to broaden the geographic
scope of international cooperation on air pollution (e.g., UNEP, WHO, CCAC)
• Canada-U.S. Air Quality Agreement (AQA)
– Established in 1991 to reduce the Canada-US cross-border flow of air pollutants that cause acid rain
and later amended to address ground-level ozone
– The Air Quality Committee is responsible for coordinating the overall implementation of the
Agreement and is the primary forum for dialogue on air quality issues between the two countries
– Outcomes include reduced acidification and ozone formation, recovery of sensitive ecosystems, and
improvement of local air quality on both sides of the border
• UNECE Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution
− Only international convention that addresses air pollutants
− Parties work to report and reduce emissions of NOx, SO2, VOCs, NH3 and PM2.5, including black
carbon, heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants
− International and regional cooperation model (Europe, Central Asia, North America)
− Canada ratified the Gothenburg Protocol in November 2017, which is also the only international
agreement to address SLCPs (black carbon as a component of PM2.5)
17FORWARD AGENDA ON
ADDRESSING AIR POLLUTION
• Continue to implement the Government of Canada’s air quality
program
– Finalize proposed federal instruments and administer existing
regulations
– Work to strengthen coordinated management on air quality and climate
programming (including on short-lived climate pollutants), and science-
policy linkages for evidence-informed decision-making
– Continue work as required to address remaining BLIERs
– Continue to collaborate with provinces and territories to implement
AQMS and ensure obligations are met
– Review of ambient air quality standards for PM2.5
– Advance work on regional airshed air quality management and
engaging with PTs and multi-jurisdictional organizations in border
regions
18QUESTIONS? COMMENTS?
For more information on Canada’s domestic air quality and the Air Quality
Management System under the CCME, please visit ECCC’s air quality home
page or the CCME State of the Air Report :
https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/weather/airquality.html
http://airquality-qualitedelair.ccme.ca/en/
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