Good air quality

SEPA seeks to achieve good air quality in line with the aims of the European initiative, Clean Air for Europe, to protect against significant negative effects of air pollution on human health and the environment. SEPA seeks to address global climate change by promoting a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

SEPA will:

• monitor and regulate industry to reduce pollutants and minimise harm to the environment and human health;

• promote the use of best available techniques and environmental choices in industry;

• work in partnership with other organisations, such as local authorities, to address poor air quality at a local and national level;

• contribute to local authority air quality review and assessments;

• regulate the EU Emissions Trading Scheme and, where appropriate, ensure a common implementation approach is taken with the other UK regulators;

• influence and implement incoming legislation as appropriate; and

• develop a pilot study for the extension of the air classification scheme.

Summary of SEPA’s outcome and targets:

* SEPA addresses global climate change through reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from regulated processes.

† Air quality objectives as defined in air quality strategy. Emission limit values as defined in The Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2000.

§ Target to reduce pollutant levels to 585kt sulphur dioxide; 1167kt nitrogen oxides; 1200kt volatile organic compounds; and 297kt ammonia by 2010 as defined in the National Emission Ceilings Regulations (2002). UK Government's 2010 domestic goal to reduce carbon dioxide by 20% from 1990 levels. UK's Kyoto Protocol target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 12.5% of 1990 levels by the period 2008 - 2012.

¶ A feasibility study for the air classification scheme is underway and the development of the pilot is dependent on its success.

‡ Compliance targets: Integrated Pollution Control, Air Pollution Control and Pollution Prevention and Control (Part Bs) 92%; Control of Pollution Act 94% (increasing to 95% and transferring to Controlled Activities Regulations in 2006); and Waste Management Licences 90%.

The following charts illustrate emissions from SEPA regulated processes as reported to European Pollutant Emissions Register. The aim is to reduce emissions in future.

European Pollutant Emissions Register Mass Emissions for 2002 (Total Percentage)

Note on above charts: This data was collected for the first time in 2003 for 2002 data. The data collection exercise is now in progress for 2004 data and will be published in summer 2005 in the European Pollutant Emissions Register.

Local, national and international air quality

Local authorities are required, under the Environment Act 1995, to review and assess their air quality with regard to the standards and objectives for the nine air pollutants in the air quality strategy⁵. As a statutory consultee, SEPA provides information to local authorities on emissions from regulated activities to assist in these reviews and assessments. SEPA works towards the requirements of the UK air quality objectives and EU limit values and target values by setting appropriate emission limit values within the permits of regulated installations. SEPA also provides advice on air quality issues to local authorities to help them meet the requirements of the air quality strategy. We aim to increase the effectiveness of liaison with local authorities by actively seeking feedback on our performance. In addition, we aim to reduce the emissions of airborne pollutants from regulated processes through a combination of education and regulation.

SEPA will continue to work with other organisations to understand the contribution of pollutants to local and national air quality from regulated industry. A data strategy is being developed to enable this. In 2002, the Scottish pollutant release inventory was launched, which provides information via our website on chemical and pollutant releases into the environment. The inventory provides access to data gathered in 2002 under the requirements of the European pollutant emissions register, which collates and reports industrial emissions across Europe. In 2004, the data collection exercise was expanded and the results will be published in summer 2005. The European register will be superseded by the pollutant release and transfer register in 2007. SEPA will also work in partnership with other organisations in research and development of air quality issues and to raise public and industrial awareness. As part of this, SEPA is involved with the SNIFFER (Scotland and Northern Ireland Forum for Environmental Research) project to extend the UK air classification scheme. If the feasibility study is successful, a pilot scheme will commence.

SEPA is working towards three air biodiversity targets from the UK biodiversity action plan. These are concerned with the effect of atmospheric nutrient deposition and climate change on lowland dry acid grasslands and upland hay meadows and research requirements on blanket bog. SEPA aims to understand the effect of airborne pollutants, such as volatile organic compounds, heavy metals and fluorides, on plant growth and vitality. Over the next three years, SEPA will identify the key pollutants and the pollution exposure risk to important biodiversity areas.

Global climate change

Through regulation and promoting best practice, SEPA will work towards Scottish and UK objectives and targets set to address climate change. This includes the UK Kyoto target of achieving a 12.5% reduction, from levels recorded in 1990, in six greenhouse gases between 2008 and 2012⁶. SEPA will contribute by enforcing regulations, such as landfill sites and industrial processes under Environmental Protection Act 1990, Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations 2000, EU Emissions Trading Scheme and Ozone Depleting Substances Regulations 2002. SEPA's role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions is limited at present as most emissions arise from sources not regulated by SEPA, in particular transport.

SEPA will provide expert advice to the Scottish Executive on climate change issues. We will work with other parties to feed into negotiations on forthcoming legislation, such as the proposed European fluorinated gases regulations. We will encourage Scottish industry to embrace the development and transfer of advanced environmentally sound technologies to reduce greenhouse gases through the Linking Directive.

Compliance

SEPA regulates, monitors and promotes the use of best available techniques and environmental choices by industry in order to reduce pollutant emissions and thus protect the environment and human health.

SEPA is in the process of transferring operators from the existing Environmental Protection Act 1990 to Pollution Prevention and Control. This will be completed by October 2007. We will have regard to the air quality strategy and, where appropriate, incorporate the requirements of the Air Quality Daughter Directives into permits. SEPA will implement and regulate the Waste Incineration Directive, Solvent Emissions Directive, Large Combustion Plant Directive, Petrol Vapour Recovery Regulations and Sulphur Content of Liquid Fuels Regulations.

Over the next three years, SEPA will work towards the requirements of the Environmental Noise Directive, which requires that all relevant sites are identified and monitored with noise maps produced by July 2007.

5 The nine air pollutants in the air quality strategy are sulphur dioxide, benzene, 1,3-butadiene, carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen oxides, ozone, particulate matter and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

6 The six greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride.