Harnessing science, policy, and law to deliver clean air

Despite increasing evidence and awareness, many countries continue to have weak air quality regimes. Trends in epidemiological and toxicological science point to health harms arising from air pollution at ever-lower concentrations, making the provision of clean air increasingly urgent yet ever more difficult to achieve. Compelling scientific evidence on causes, effects, and technical fixes is not sufficient to deliver global clean air ambitions; the law must play a central role in shaping actions. Yet despite an increase in the number of national laws and regulations that seek to address the problem, many countries still have weak air quality regimes. We identify six key future looking issues at the interface of science, the law, and policy, each of which shows why air quality governance is a complex, interdependent, and dynamic regulatory space, which needs interdisciplinary attention in diagnosing how air quality regimes might be improved.