Emissionsstandards

Emissions standards are legally binding limits on the amount of pollutants that may be released from a source over a given period or per unit of activity. They are used to control emissions from motor vehicles, industrial facilities, power plants, ships, and other sources, with the aim of protecting air quality, human health, and the environment. Standards may set limits on specific pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), particulate matter (PM), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and, in some regimes, greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2).

They can be prescriptive (technology-based), requiring the adoption of particular control measures, or performance-based, requiring a source to achieve an emissions level regardless of the technology used. Measurements are often in grams per kilometer for vehicles, milligrams per cubic meter for stationary sources, or tons per year.

Implementation: set by national or subnational governments, sometimes aligned with international norms; compliance through testing, monitoring, reporting, and inspections; penalties for violations; periodic revisions to tighten limits as control technologies improve; harmonization efforts exist, e.g., EU Euro standards, US EPA standards, UNECE regulations.

Examples: European Union Euro emission standards for cars; United States EPA Tier standards; China VI; California's LEV program; IMO sulfur cap for ships; NSPS for power plants.

Impact and criticism: aims to reduce pollution and health risks but can raise costs for industry and consumers; challenges include enforcement, leakage, technological feasibility, and global competitiveness; some advocate for performance-based or market-based approaches like cap-and-trade.