Zhang Yongan and Qiao Jinghua, NATO and the Transatlantic Cooperation on Air Pollution Control (1969-1976)

　　With the establishment of the Committee on the Challenges of Modern Society (CCMS) in 1969, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) sought active interventions in social affairs, especially when it came to environmental issues, which was seen as ‘the third dimension’ of NATO, in addition to its functions of security and political consultation. One of the pilot studies of CCMS was the Air Pollution Pilot Study. Focusing on air pollution assessment, air quality standards, air pollution control technology, air quality models, and Low Pollution Power Systems Development (LPPSD) program, CCMS undertook a series of approaches, including symposia, research, and promotional displays, substantially enhancing the transatlantic cooperation on air pollution control. All the work undertook by CCMS reinforced the information exchange and experience sharing and further strengthened the transatlantic unity by convening international air pollution control conferences. Meanwhile, the NATO allies, especially the United States, promoted the US USSR cooperation in the field of environmental protection based on the pilot studies results, thereby paving the way for political détente between the East and the West. However, the bilateral cooperation did not fully bring about environmental protection cooperation between the East and the West, as well as the North and the South. The global environmental movement is destined to be a long term task.