The legacy of the Nordic contributions to acid rain science and policy

For more than 50 years, the Nordic countries have together played a significant role in Europe in raising awareness, scientific understanding and policy development for the control of acid rain and related air pollution problems. The Nordic cooperation has most of the time been organised by the Nordic Council of Ministers. It began within OECD in 1969 and was followed by the establishment of the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP) under UNECE and the Convention for Long-Range Transport of Air Pollutants (the Air Convention), signed in 1979. This paper examines Nordic collaboration across three distinct phases: 1970-1980, 1985-2000 and post-2000. We analyse the defining characteristics of each period and their varying influences on international policy development in Europe, initially focusing on the Air Convention and later extending to the European Union. Finally, we explore potential pathways for maintaining an influential international role of the Nordic countries in advancing air pollution control when climate change, energy transition, increased security uncertainties and the AI revolution pose significant challenges and opportunities for air pollution management and control.