environmental expertise as “the identification of conformity of the environmental
conditions with qualitative standards and ecological requirements in order to
identify, prevent and forecast the possible negative impact of an
economic activity
on the environment and related consequences”.
One of the substantive legal rules in Azerbaijan is the Law on Air Protection
establishes the legal basis for the protection of air and impact to the ecosystems,
including Caspian Sea basin; thus implementing the constitutional rights of
inhabitants to live in healthy environment, stipulates the rights and obligations of the
authorities, legal entities and individuals also NGOs
in this respect, sets general
requirements for air protection in economic activities, establishes rules for the State
inventory of harmful emissions and their sources, introduces general categories of
breaches of the Law that triggers punitive measures.
Researches concerning of protection of atmosphere and prevention of
climate changes, reflect that ending up activities of some numbers of substantive
sources of heavily polluting industrial enterprises (since 1991) has led to substantial
reduction of pollutants. If in 1990 the volume of pollutants was ≅2.1 million tons, in
1998 it had declined as 352,000 tons. Some numbers of problems still remain: most
air filters in active enterprises have bad conditions.
On the way to resolve worldwide pollution problems, Azerbaijan ratified the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Vienna
Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer. In 2000,
Azerbaijan ratified the
Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and
as a Party to the Convention Azerbaijan has undertaken to develop, implement and
disseminate programmes to reduce expected impacts on climate change.
Drawing up a national action’s plan of minimizing negative impact of climate
changes on the country’s economy and health of population, as well as informing the
international community Azerbaijan has proceeded to:
· prepare a national inventory of greenhouse gases;
·assess opportunities for reducing the use of greenhouse gases and
implementation of national policy;
· evaluate of impact of climate changes to ecosystems and major
sectors of
economy, prepare for adaptive measures to minimize loss from pollutants.
The key principles based on the Law on Environmental Protection (1992) and
Resolution 122 of the CM on the Payments for Nature Use IAW the Application of
Charges for Natural Resources, Discharge of Pollutants to the Natural Environment
and Rates of Charges for Environmental Pollution. The Law on Environmental
Protection reconfirms the legal validity and basics for economic instrument,
emphasizes using economic incentives for environmental protection by means of
charges for use of natural resources and pollution. Monitoring system based on
several possibilities of remote sensing by various satellites (NOAA, Nimbus, LandSat
etc).
Reducing environmental pollution and damages of human health cost-
effectively requires an integrated approach for urban air quality management
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important step in development of an urban air quality management
strategy is
monitoring and evaluating air quality.
Results
Modern monitoring and modeling systems are essential for policy-making
suited to the primary objectives of human health protection; there are several key
tasks for understanding of nature of technogen character of air and water pollution,
above all collecting data on ambient pollutant concentrations and developing an
emissions inventory. Most of monitoring stations in Azerbaijan are regularly
indicating CO
2
, SO
2
, NO
x
and total suspended particles, but still not available data for
fine particulates (PM10 and PM2.5), although these are far more damaging public
health than suspended particulates. Ground-level ozone isn’t monitored
in big cities
with high ozone levels. Ground-level ozone originates from transport emissions and
can cause summer smog.
In 2000 were thrown 908 000 tons of pollutants to the atmosphere, 43% - by
mobile units; by stationary sources – 515 000 tons among them - 430 000 tons
extremely hazardous waste. Emission by gaseous and liquid substances counted 96%
of total volume, particularly sulfate anhydride – 35000 tons, carbon monoxide – 26
000 tons, nitric oxide – 24 000 tons. Main hazardous organic substances are most
dangerous with the level of significant decreases to 14% (compare to indicators of
1999). Thus total value of pollution decreased to 59 000 tons or to 10% (comparable
to 1999).
According to implementation of multilateral environmental agreements (UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change and Kyoto Protocol, UNECE
conventions
and other international legal documents), Azerbaijan develops and establishes
necessary regulatory and legal framework to control the trade and use of ozone-
depleting substances (ODS), to enable fulfill obligations under the Montreal Protocol.
The National Ozone Centre was established to support the ODS, the initial
national programme for the phase-out of ODS was compiled in 1997, several projects
have been implemented in cooperation to GEF. The total consumption of ODS in
Azerbaijan decreased from 966 metric tons of ozone-depleting potential (ODP)
before the ratification of the Protocol to 13.6 metric tons ODP in 2002,
this drop of
almost 99% has been achieved through significant changes in industrial development
and valuable decrease of production of refrigeration equipment. ODS consumption
continues of reduction.
Discussion
Azerbaijan has been Party to the UNECE Convention on Long-range
Transboundary Air Pollution since 2002, but not ratified protocols. The Government
intends to ratify the Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), the Protocol on
Heavy Metals, and the Protocol on Long-term Financing
of the Cooperative
Programme for Monitoring and Evaluation of the Long-range Transmission of Air
Pollutants in Europe (EMEP).
Modern world is the rough arena of economic growth, but industrial
development shouldn’t decrease a quality of natural surround of humanity. Nature
protection aspects are secured broad consensus among stakeholders (government,
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