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Argentina
History and Objectives
Work on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) IES project in Buenos Aires, Argentina, began in October 2000. The objective of the IES project was to quantify the health benefits from reducing particulate matter (PM) due to specific measures to improve air quality and reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs), especially focusing on the transportation sector. The project also aimed to raise awareness and improve technical capabilities in analyzing and implementing integrated strategies.
Team
Dr. Fabián Gaioli, a professor of the Physics Department of the Universidad Nacional del Sur and coordinator of the Climate Change Unit in the Argentine Secretariat of Environment and Sustainable Development (part of the Ministry of Social Development) led the IES-Argentina team and designed the scenarios to be analyzed in the project. Dr. Pablo Tarela of the Instituto Nacional del Agua y el Ambiente and the University of Buenos Aires led the work on air quality modeling and emission factors. Dr. Mariana Conte Grand of Universidad del CEMA led the economic analysis of air pollution health impacts.
Methodology
The study analyzed specific mitigation options for three scenarios (baseline, mitigation, and integrated), focusing on air pollutant abatement and associated GHG abatement. Specific options included increased use of compressed natural gas, making efficiency improvements and modal substitution in the transport sector, and increasing energy efficiency in buildings. The team estimated air pollutant abatement for 2000-2012 using nitrogen oxides (NOx) and PM as the reference pollutants and carbon dioxide as the key GHG.
Study Results
The team generated several intermediate products during the study, including:
- A report on determining emission factors for the Argentine vehicle fleet
- A report outlining transportation mitigation measures and scenarios
- A report on electricity options
- A report on air quality modeling of the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area
- A report on health effects and economic valuation
The air quality modeling report quantified pollutant distribution in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area from 2000 to 2012 based on baseline, mitigation, and integrated scenarios. It included input from an analysis of emissions and energy use in the transportation and electricity sectors undertaken as part of the scenario development.
The team released a final report (PDF) (84 pp, 1.1MB, About PDF) in December 2002. It described several scenarios of different integrated measures to reduce air pollutants and associated GHGs, and analyzed resulting air pollution concentrations and health impacts. The study concluded that if integrated measures were adopted, an estimated 1,463 to 3,957 premature deaths in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (BAMA) would be avoided annually by 2010 due to PM10 reductions, and 0.9 to 6.5 million fewer metric tons of carbon dioxide would be emitted into the atmosphere annually in comparison to the baseline scenario.
Meetings and Presentations
The IES team presented preliminary results of the IES analysis in several meetings. They have been shared in three domestic workshops, the Buenos Aires city government’s “Forum on the Buenos Aires Strategic Transportation Plan 2010”; the “First Meeting on Adaptation of the City of Buenos Aires and the Metropolitan Area to Climate Change”; and a seminar at the Secretariat of Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy.
In addition, the team shared some IES results with non-governmental organizations at the Foro del Buen Ayre. The team also discussed the project in working groups assisting the Climate Change Unit. A number of entities used the project as a reference paper, including the “Pollution Management Project” of the Secretariat of Environment and Sustainable Development and the World Bank; “The Study on Environmental Criteria for Installation and Extension of Thermal Power Plants in Argentina” of the National Electricity Regulation Entity, National Atomic Energy Commission, and Japan International Cooperation Agency; and the “Air Monitoring Plan of Dock Sud Petrochemical Plants” of the Secretariat of Environment and Sustainable Development and Japan International Cooperation Agency.
Members of the IES-Argentina team have taken part in international presentations of the IES program, at the Fifth Conference of the Parties (COP5) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Sixth Conference of the Parties (COP6), and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) workshops in March/April 2000. They also participated in the Air and Waste Management Association workshop in June 2001, the IES-Mexico Workshop in August 2002, and the Brazilian Health Benefits Model training in 2003.
In October 2002, the Argentine team held a policymakers' workshop to present the results of the IES analysis to key in-country decision-makers. The goal of the workshop was to disseminate results and obtain feedback on the usefulness of co-benefits analysis to assist in policy development of integrated policy options.
Outcomes
Several indicators show that key parties have focused more attention on integrated measures, attributed to the IES-Argentina program. The Secretariat of Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy created the following new programs: Biofuels, Environmental Urban Features of Climate Change, Alternative Energies and Fuels, and Rational Use of Energy and Efficiency. The secretariat has also created two working teams, one focusing on the transport sector and the other concentrating on electricity generation. In both cases, the teams have worked to strengthen the institutional capacity and integrated technical analysis being conducted as part of the IES-Argentina program with respect to critical analysis of potential mitigation measures.
According to team members, the interdisciplinary nature of the IES policy analysis program in Argentina enabled experts from diverse areas to work together to develop focused policy advice for decision-makers. The project enabled greater cooperation among many public entities and academic and private sector institutions in areas such as energy, transportation, and the environment. Team members believe that IES is a useful tool in the process of adopting policies within the framework of the commitments taken by UNFCCC parties. They expect final results of the project to influence the adoption of measures that both improve local air quality and reduce associated GHG emissions.
Documents
Contains documents generated through the IES-Argentina analysis.