Ad hoc Working Group for the Elaboration of the 8th Report on the State of the Alps

Chair: France 

In order to draft the eighth Report on the State of the Alps dedicated to the topic of Alpine air quality, the XV Alpine Conference of Innsbruck established an ad hoc Working Group and called upon the Contracting parties and Observers to nominate suitable experts to participate in it and contribute to the preparation of the data and of the text. The topic, proposed by the French presidency of the Convention, is an extremely sensitive issue in the Alps especially because the Alpine morphology and specific meteorological phenomena determine higher levels of pollution within Alpine valleys. It is also a theme that affects many crucial Alpine sectors, starting from public health and including transports, the generation of heat and electricity, industrial production and many more.

Additionally, the sources of air pollution are numerous and many of them are located outside the Alpine territory or are not determined by the human activities. This makes the topic of air quality particularly complex and relevant at the same time.

The Working Group focused on the collection and evaluation of pan-Alpine data and of information on the status of air quality in the Alps as well as of good practices and national/European policies that promote better air quality in the Alps. It prepared policy recommendations for the preservation of human health, ecosystem dynamics as well as a sustainable development of the Alpine area.

Contact: 
Eric Vindimian, French Ministry for the Ecological Transition
eric.vindimian@developpement-durable.gouv.fr