What is the issue?

Climate change may be grabbing the headlines, but local air pollution from burning fossil fuels has not gone away. Progress has been made over the past 20 years, through a combination of tougher regulations and innovative technology. More will be needed in future, particularly in the mega-cities of the developing world.

Demand for electricity is growing fast: China is adding a new coal-fired power plant every 14 days. And by 2050 there could be over 2 billion vehicles on the road, more than double the number today. As global energy use accelerates, managing industrial and vehicles emissions of pollutants like sulphur dioxide and nitrous oxide – that can cause acid rain and smog – is getting ever more important.

Discover more about our approach to air pollution.

→ Shell Sustainability Report 2006

Visit the online Shell Sustainability Report 2006 and learn more about our approach to air pollution - opens in a new window.