# Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution

Part of a series on :
Pollution :
Air pollution from a factory :
Air
Acid rain
Air quality index
Atmospheric dispersion modeling
Chlorofluorocarbon
Combustion
Exhaust gas
Haze
Global dimming
Global distillation
Indoor air quality
Ozone depletion
Particulates
Persistent organic pollutant
Smog
Soot
Volatile organic compound :
Biological
Biological hazard
Genetic
Introduced species
Invasive species :
Digital
Information :
Electromagnetic
Light
Ecological
Overillumination
Radio spectrum :
Natural
Ozone
Radium and radon in the environment
Volcanic ash
Wildfire :
Noise
Transportation
Health effects from noise
Marine mammals and sonar
Noise barrier
Noise control
Soundproofing :
Radiation
Actinides
Bioremediation
Depleted uranium
Nuclear fission
Nuclear fallout
Plutonium
Poisoning
Radioactivity
Uranium
Radioactive waste :
Soil
Agricultural
Land degradation
Bioremediation
Defecation
Electrical resistance heating
Soil guideline values
Phytoremediation :
Solid waste
Advertising mail
Biodegradable waste
Brown waste
Electronic waste
Foam food container
Food waste
Green waste
Hazardous waste
Industrial waste
Litter
Mining
Municipal solid waste
Nanomaterials
Plastic
Packaging waste
Post-consumer waste
Waste management :
Space
Space debris :
Thermal
Urban heat island :
Visual
Air travel
Advertising clutter
Overhead power lines
Traffic signs
Vandalism :
War
Chemical warfare
Herbicidal warfare
Agent Orange
Nuclear holocaust
Nuclear fallout
Nuclear famine
Nuclear winter
Scorched earth
Unexploded ordnance
War and environmental law :
Water
Agricultural wastewater
Biosolids
Diseases
Eutrophication
Firewater
Freshwater
Groundwater
Hypoxia
Industrial wastewater
Marine
Monitoring
Nonpoint source
Nutrient
Ocean acidification
Oil spill
Pharmaceuticals
Freshwater salinization
Septic tanks
Sewage
Shipping
Sludge
Stagnation
Sulfur water
Surface runoff
Turbidity
Urban runoff
Water quality
Wastewater :
Topics
History
Pollutants
Heavy metals
Paint :
Misc
Area source
Debris
Dust
Garbology
Legacy
Midden
Point source
Waste
Lists
Diseases
Law by country
Most polluted cities
Least polluted cities by PM2.5
Treaties
Categories
By country :
Environment portal
Ecology portal :
vte :
The Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution, often abbreviated as Air Convention or CLRTAP, is intended to protect the human environment against air pollution and to gradually reduce and prevent air pollution, including long-range transboundary air pollution. It is implemented by the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP), directed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).
The convention opened for signature on November 13, 1979, and entered into force on March 16, 1983.

## Secretariat

The Convention, which now has 51 Parties, identifies the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) as its secretariat. The current parties to the Convention are shown on the map.
The Convention is implemented by the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP) (short for Co-operative Programme for Monitoring and Evaluation of the Long-range Transmission of Air Pollutants in Europe). Results of the EMEP programme are published on the EMEP website, www.emep.int.

## Procedure

The aim of the Convention is that Parties shall endeavour to limit and, as far as possible, gradually reduce and prevent air pollution including long-range transboundary air pollution. Parties develop policies and strategies to combat the discharge of air pollutants through exchanges of information, consultation, research and monitoring.
The Parties meet annually at sessions of the Executive Body to review ongoing work and plan future activities including a workplan for the coming year. The three main subsidiary bodies – the Working Group on Effects, the Steering Body to EMEP and the Working Group on Strategies and Review – as well as the Convention's Implementation Committee, report to the Executive Body each year.
Currently, the Convention's priority activities include review and possible revision of its most recent protocols, implementation of the Convention and its protocols across the entire UNECE region (with special focus on Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia and South-East Europe) and sharing its knowledge and information with other regions of the world.

## Protocols

Since 1979 the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution has addressed some of the major environmental problems of the UNECE region through scientific collaboration and policy negotiation. The Convention has been extended by eight protocols that identify specific measures to be taken by Parties to cut their emissions of air pollutants:
* Protocol on Long-Term Financing of the Cooperative Programme for Monitoring and Evaluation of the Long-range Transmission of Air Pollutants in Europe (EMEP) (1984)
* 1985 Helsinki Protocol on the Reduction of Sulphur Emissions
* Nitrogen Oxide Protocol (1988)
* Volatile Organic Compounds Protocol (1991)
* 1994 Oslo Protocol on Further Reduction of Sulphur Emissions
* Protocol on Heavy Metals (1998)
* Aarhus Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants (1998)
* 1999 Gothenburg Protocol to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication and Ground-level Ozone (1999)