GEO-6 Assessment for Latin America and the Caribbean

O3

μg/m3

)

Chapter 2: State and Trends

Figure 2.1.5: Annual average ozone concentration and maximum eight hour average concentration (gray bar) in three major cities in Latin America in 2011. The horizontal red line represents the WHO standard for ozone exposure (eight-hour average).

300 250 200

150 100

50 0

162

WHO 8-hr 100 (μg/m3

148 ) 270

including LAC. The second regional monitoring report for LAC, published in November 2014, includes several datasets available from air samples throughout the region in (UNEP 2014a). The sampling method for providing comparable results consisted of establishing a network of passive sampling stations, including urban, rural and background sites. These methods use polyurethane foam (PUF Samplers) and Styrene divinilbenzene samplers (XAD-2 resin).

Greenhouse gases 59 44 29 Quito

Mexico City City

Annual average Annual maximum 8-hour average

Source: Green and Sanchez 2012

The exceedances of the 8-hour WHO air quality guidelines in all the considered cities (Figure 2.1.5) suggests that even cities with a low annual average concentration are likely to have short-term concentrations of ozone above what is deemed unsafe for public health by WHO.

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP) levels in air

The Global Monitoring Plan (GMP) is an initiative established to evaluate the effectiveness of the Stockholm Convention and monitor the presence of POPs in all the regions,

Transport is one of the largest and fastest growing sources of GHG emissions in Latin America and the Caribbean. The transport system in the region together with the increase in motorization rates have led to an increase in the overall regional GHG emission rates, also in part due to the growing GDP and the increase of the middle class across the region. The transportation sector represents 35 per cent of the total GHG emission in Latin America and the Caribbean, accounting for 506.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year (IDB 2013). A description of the main greenhouse gases emitted in LAC is provided in the Supplementary Information (More…6).

Nitrous oxide

Agriculture has a strong effect on emissions of nitrous oxide (Figure 2.1.6) and, to a lesser extent, carbon dioxide. Nitrogen fertilizers result in emissions of nitrous oxide from the soil and these emissions increase rapidly with the amount of fertilizer added to crops. In LAC nitrous oxide emissions from soils, from leaching and runoff, direct emissions, and animal manure, increased by about 29 per cent between 2000 and 2010.

Methane

Methane emissions from rice (paddy) cultivation increased significantly and fairly linearly at a rate of 32 gigagrams methane per year during 2000-2010 (Figure 2.1.7). In these years, methane emissions increased by about 29 per cent. The percentage share of total global methane emissions from rice (data only from Africa, Asia and Pacific, Latin

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