Sustainable policy—key considerations for air quality and climate change

• Published in: Current opinion in environmental sustainability Vol. 23; pp. 85 - 91
• Main Authors: Melamed, Megan L, Schmale, Julia, von Schneidemesser, Erika
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.12.2016
• ISSN: 1877-3435; 1877-3443
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cosust.2016.12.003

•Air quality and climate change are two inexorably linked issues.•This link is often overlook in global environmental change and sustainability policies.•Air quality and climate change should be addressed in a coordinated manner.•Three key considerations, mix of emissions, lifetime, and benefits/trade-offs, can be used to develop sustainable policy.•Water-Energy-Food nexus is one example of a sustainability issue that could benefit from the key considerations. Air quality and climate change are inexorably linked from their emission sources to their impacts on climate, human health, and ecosystems, including agriculture. However, in global environmental change and sustainability policies the link between air quality and climate change is often ignored. To facilitate including the link between air pollution and climate change in the policy process, three key considerations (1) mix of emissions, (2) lifetime, and (3) benefits and trade-offs should be taken into account. These three key considerations will help decision makers understand how proposed policies may impact the emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases and their resulting impacts on climate, human health, and ecosystems, thus reducing unintended consequences and likely resulting in additional economic and environmental benefits.