A framework for assessing air pollutant emissions and impacts in Sub-Saharan Africa and options for mitigation: Case studies for Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria

Air pollution is globally the largest environmental risk to human health. In Sub-Saharan Africa, there is a lack of quantitative data on current air pollution levels, the major sources which contribute to this and the most effective measures to mitigate the problem. This thesis aims to develop and apply a framework for assessing air pollution impacts and mitigation strategies that are specifically designed to be applicable in Sub-Saharan African countries. The framework comprises first developing an integrated emission inventory of greenhouse gases, short-lived climate pollutants and air pollutants for a historical year using methodologies that are appropriate for the level of data available for countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and which account for specific sources that are particular to this context. The second part of this framework is the development of future projections for business as usual development and from the implementation of specific mitigation measures in key source sectors. Finally, the benefits of implementing these mitigation strategies are assessed in terms of the impacts on human health and global climate change to assess the overall effect of changes in emissions of GHGs, SCLPs and air pollutants on the impacts that provide the motivation for mitigation. This framework was applied in Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria to assess emissions, emission reduction potential of mitigation measures and impacts between 2010 and 2050. The major sources of key pollutants in these countries vary but generally include residential, transport agriculture and waste sectors. For the first time in a comprehensive national inventory, emissions from illegal oil refining, backup generator use, 2-stroke motorcycles, simple kerosene wick lamps and unpaved road dust were included. While emission reductions from these sources would contribute to improving air quality in these countries, the largest emission reductions were from ambitious mitigation strategies implemented in the residential, transport and power generation.