European and international institutions

European Commission DG Environment - Air — 01 Jun 2010: A main role of the European Commission's Environment Directorate-General (DG) is to initiate and define new environmental legislation and to ensure that agreed measures are put into practice in the EU Member States.
The UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP Convention) — 01 Jun 2010: The objective of the LRTAP Convention is to limit and, as far as possible, gradually reduce and prevent air pollution including long-range transboundary air pollution. The Convention’s activities are supported by the work of a number of intergovernmental bodies, expert groups and scientific centres.
EMEP (European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme) — 01 Jun 2010: EMEP is the co-operative programme for monitoring and evaluation of the long range transmission of air pollutants in Europe. It is a scientifically based and policy driven programme under the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution. EMEP’s activities are supported through the work of a number of EMEP centres and task forces.
European Commission JRC-IES: Transport and air quality unit — 01 Jun 2010: The Joint Research Centre’s Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES) provides research-based support to the development and implementation of European environmental policies. The Transport and Air Quality Unit provides scientific and technical grounds for the definition and implementation of the EU strategy to protect the health of the European citizen against the effects of air pollution and radioactivity
European Commission JRC-IES: Climate change unit — 01 Jun 2010: The Climate Change Unit of the Joint Research Centre’s Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES) provides scientific support for the development and monitoring of European policies in the area of regional and global air pollution and climate change.
World Health Organization (WHO) regional office for Europe – air quality and health — 01 Jun 2010: The WHO/Europe air quality programme comprises a range of activities including reviewing scientific evidence on health effects of air pollution; developing methods to quantify health risks from air pollution; helping countries to build capacities in assessing health risks and to develop a sustainable air quality policy, and providing guidance in the European Region and on a global scale by publishing studies and recommendations such as the WHO air quality guidelines.
UNECE Kiev Protocol on PRTRs — 01 Jun 2010: The website of the Kiev Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers established under the UNECE Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters. The Kiev Protocol was the first legally binding international instrument on pollutant release and transfer registers. Its objective is ‘to enhance public access to information through the establishment of coherent, nationwide pollutant release and transfer registers (PRTRs).’ PRTRs are inventories of pollution from industrial sites and other sources.
OECD PRTR — 01 Jun 2010: The Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTR) website of the OECD. OECD has worked together with governments, industry and NGOs to develop documents dealing with: the experiences of countries who have developed PRTRs; current and emerging uses of PRTR data; how PRTRs differ; and the identification, selection and adaptation of release estimation techniques that industry uses to calculate PRTR releases and transfers. The separate PRTR.net website of the OECD provides a global portal to PRTR information and activities from countries and organisations around the world.
World Meteorological Organization (WMO) — 01 Jun 2010: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a specialised agency of the United Nations. It provides information concerning the state and behaviour of the Earth's atmosphere. Amongst its activities, the WMO monitors long-term changes in atmospheric aerosols and ozone, in greenhouse gases, ultraviolet radiation, and assesses their consequent effects on people, climate, air and water quality and marine and terrestrial ecosystems.
European Environmental Protection Agencies network — 01 Jun 2010: Network of national environmental protection agencies and similar organisations across Europe.
United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) - Air — 01 Jun 2010: Information of the US EPA concerning air pollution, including information on emission sources, pollutants, indoor air pollution and effects on health and the environment arising from poor air quality.
UNEP GRID-Arendel — 01 Jun 2010: UNEP GRID-Arendal provides environmental information, communications and capacity building services for information management and assessment. Established to strengthen the United Nations through its Environment Programme (UNEP), its focus is to make credible, science-based knowledge understandable to the public and to support decision-making for sustainable development.