Brussels, 27/11/2012 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament transport and tourism committee has closely examined the transport sector's responsibility for pollution. They heard Director Jacqueline McGlade present the European Environment Agency's 2012 report, “Transport and Environment Reporting Mechanism”.
Improvement not good enough. McGlade once again highlighted the impact of transport on air quality. Although improvement has been noted over the last 20 years, some regions are still blighted by poor air quality. The transport sector, including the maritime and aviation sectors, remains responsible for a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions, which are still 26% above 1990 levels. McGlade said that there had been an improvement in 2010, due to the economic slowdown, but that there had been a rebound in 2012. Goods transport is most responsible for the environmental impact.
Emissions and noise. McGlade drew attention particularly to emissions of sulphur dioxide (from ships), nitrogen dioxide and PM10 fine particles, which are all especially harmful to health (causing for instance, harm to respiratory systems, cardiovascular problems, or eye irritation). She regretted that the introduction of European vehicle standards had not had a greater effect on nitrogen dioxide emissions, given the overall improvement they should have on air quality. The level of concentration of these emissions causes greatest concern in cities, where they far exceed the levels authorised in European law (in the 40 cities investigated, levels of nitrogen dioxide were 44% above the permitted level and PM10 levels were 33% above what is allowed). Cities are also more likely to be exposed to noise pollution from transport. It was estimated that 62% of people in cities are exposed to noise levels of more than 55 decibels. 47 million EU citizens are exposed to night time noise pollution, which is also harmful to health.
What is to be done. McGlade made clear that a blind eye cannot be turned to transport. Bringing changes, she said, will bring benefits not only in terms of greenhouse gases but also for the health of those exposed to the pollution. She said that the EU is on the right track in bringing about change, but suggested a number of avenues that might be followed in order to reduce the impact of transport on the environment, such as promoting alternative fuels (electricity, bioethanol and LPG, for example), improving their level of market penetration and putting in place the necessary infrastructure. Incentives for consumers and comparative labelling are other measures that should be considered. McGlade expressed her disappointment that the number of alternatively powered cars had increased by only 4% since 2000. She was pleased to see, however, that things were happening behind the scenes. In November, the Commission is expected to bring forward a strategy for alternative fuels. (MD/transl.fl)