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The air that we breathe is our most precious commodity. With the help of science, policy assessments can take all factors into account in planning for improved air quality across the globe, without limiting the right of all countries to develop equally. |
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Pollution from industrialization |
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 The countries of the world have industrialized at different rates and timescales, from the industrial revolution in England in the early 1800s to the newly developing countries like Brazil, Mexico, and Turkey which, until the credit crunch, were building strong economies based on the export of manufactured goods.
Industrialization began with the realization that burning of coal, and subsequently other fossil fuels, could drive machines that would produce goods and commodities faster and more efficiently than human or animal labor. It has resulted, however, in air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and climate change-and these pose a real and burgeoning threat to the environment and to human health.
Much is being done both on a legal and an informal basis to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gases and also to develop cleaner technologies to replace fossil fuels for domestic and industrial use. But with all countries of the world expected to industrialize to a greater or lesser extent over the coming decades, who will pay the financial costs of the measures needed to offset pollution and greenhouse gas emissions caused by developing country industrialization? |
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Pollution in developing countries |
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There is wide agreement that developing countries must not penalized in their efforts to place their economies on a sounder footing, even though this will involve increasing manufacturing, improving transport, and pursuing other development paths that generate pollution and contribute to global warming. Even without the demands on the atmosphere imposed by development, the air quality in many cities of Africa and South America is poor. Almost half the world's households using unprocessed solid fuels for cooking, ranging roughly from close to zero in developed countries to more than 80% in China, India, and sub-Saharan Africa. With the world's poorest countries facing a dramatic rise in deaths from disease and malnutrition as a direct result of climate change driven by the wealthier, more-polluting countries, MAG is engaging in research to assess policy options, for particular application in developing countries that reduce atmospheric pollution and greenhouse gases, without placing an undue burden on countries' capacity to develop. |
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Practical assistance for policymakers |
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Cutting-edge methodologies, developed at IIASA, are used by MAG scientists to model the possible ways in which different policy strategies will play out and the economic costs and uncertainties that must be taken into account in adopting and executing them. By placing air pollution and economic development within one assessment framework, MAG facilitates practical policy analyses in different regions of the world, for example, assessing the impact of air pollution on health in developing countries and estimating the cost of emission control for air pollutants and greenhouse gases for Asia.
Neutral and based on scientific excellence and innovative methodology, MAG's research is independent and free from national political restraints and vested interests, providing policymakers with completely objectice knowledge and information as a basis for their decisions. |
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About the program