A deal on stronger standards on emissions and a national clean air agreement will help Australia to reduce air pollution and save billions of dollars. Australia’s federal and state governments decided to cooperate to improve air quality standards, and environment ministers released a discussion paper for a national clean air agreement, which should assure tougher air quality standards, hinder mercury release into the environment and restrict emissions from the shipping sector. Other matters discussed include the withdrawal of micro-plastics that harm the marine environment and the banning of non-biodegradable plastic bags. A change adaption working group involving all the states has been instituted in order to guarantee the effectiveness of the reform, and it will work on issues such as water management and renewable energy opportunities. Also, at the moment the health costs of air pollution cost Australia up to $24.3bn a year, and current standards don’t protect enough human health, so the decision to launch a new policy has been hailed by many as it could help the country save billions of dollars, too. The federal environment minister Greg Hunt showed himself satisfied by the “remarkable cooperation” between all institutions, and declared that the national clean air agreement could be put into effect by July 2016. The gLAWcal Team EPSEI project Friday, 27 February 2015 (Source: Guardian)