ABSTRACT
The local effects of air quality have long been recognised for example, the UK Alkali Act was established in 1863 to improve conditions adjacent to installations; but it has only been in more recent times that a transboundary approach to air quality has emerged. This was formally recognised in 1979 through Geneva Convention for the Control of Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP), which set general principles for international cooperation on air quality. The major focus of policy to improve air quality has been the reduction of emissions from all sources, in particular photochemical substances and those leading to acidification. According to the European Environment Agency these measures have had varying degrees of success, resulting in a general decline of air pollutants, with targets for 2000 being reached for sulphur dioxide. Historically, air quality issues have tended to be addressed individually, resulting in a number of initiatives to address ozone depletion or acidification, but no overall strategy or co-ordination in regulation.
