We used to worry more about acid rain than about climate change. Industrial coal burning and westerly winds meant that the UK was Europe’s largest exporter of sulphur air pollution. Moving power generation to the countryside and building tall chimneys had reduced local air pollution but did not prevent sulphur being transported over thousands of kilometres. Warsaw Pact countries offered 30% reductions in their sulphur emissions and watched as the western allies were split. The resultant agreements and the 1999 Gothenburg Protocol still play a central role in curbing our air pollution.

Source: The Guardian January 07, 2018 21:22 UTC