Several countries have built up a vast number of laws and regulations surrounding air pollution and management over the years, particularly in regions experiencing severe air and environmental pollution challenges. Below are some of our findings:
China
- China's air management laws were enacted in 1987 and were recently revised in 2013 and 2018 to reflect the country's current targets and standards on air pollution and management.
- The People’s Republic of China Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law "authorizes the state and local environmental agencies to design standard monitoring methods and direct to set up environmental monitoring networks and release the information on air quality to the public."
- The country spent 250 billion yuan ($ 38 billion) on reducing air pollution between 2015 and 2018. In its latest review (2018), the country plans to reduce sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide by 15% compared to 2015 levels.
Canada
- Canada operates several air management laws and regulations at various levels of government.
- In 2006, the country introduced Canada's Clean Air Act, which serves a regulatory framework aimed at improving the quality of air in Canada. The bill recognizes that air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions are a risk to human health and the environment, and its primary goal is to reduce greenhouse emissions between 45 and 65% from 2003 levels by 2050.
- The country spent $2.5 billion on reducing pollution in 2016.
Summary Of Our Early Findings Relevant To The Goals
In our initial hour of research, we were able to determine the presence of air quality management laws in China and Canada, as well as their respective spending on air pollution management.