While air quality has improved in recent decades as a result of EU-wide policies, there is still much to be done to reduce the number of premature deaths from air pollution and to limit the damage it causes to nature, according to a report by the European Environment Agency published on Monday 23 November.
This 2020 report analyses data collated over the last few years in 41 European countries, both data reported by individual countries and data provided by satellite monitoring under the Copernicus programme.
It notes that a gap still remains between legal air quality limits in the EU and WHO guidelines.
Align EU legislation with WHO standards. “If we are to succeed and fully protect people’s health and the environment, we need to cut air pollution further and align our air quality standards more closely with the recommendations of the World Health Organization. This is why the goal of zero pollution for a non-toxic environment is so important”, emphasised the Commissioner for the Environment, Virginijus Sinkevičius, at a press conference. He also noted that a public consultation has been launched on a future action plan for zero pollution of air, soil and water, which is a key initiative of the European Green Deal (see EUROPE 12574/17).
“We look forward to many contributions that can identify the most effective solutions. The action plan will include modernising the air quality legislation, which will be presented in the second half of 2022”, he said.
The Commissioner gave assurances that all available tools would be used to redress the situation, including dialogues with Member States and infringement proceedings, as well as concerted action involving all players in order to develop new reflexes within the transport, agriculture, industry and energy sectors.
“The general trend is positive, pollutant concentrations are decreasing, and limit values are being exceeded less and less. This is clearly linked to European policies that have resulted in investments in technology in many sectors, although ground-level ozone remains a problem. With regard to ammonia pollution in agriculture, reduction of this is slower than in other sectors”, said EEA Executive Director Hans Bruyninckx, alongside Mr Sinkevičius.
Covid-19 and air quality. This report also provides an overview of various links between the Covid-19 pandemic and air quality. The assessment differentiates between changes in concentration resulting from containment measures and those changes resulting from weather conditions.
It shows that nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations were significantly reduced by April 2020, with huge variations within and between cities and countries, while reductions of more than 60% have been observed in some cases. PM10 particle concentrations were also lower across Europe in April, with figures going as low as 30% in some countries.
The impact attributable to population exposure to NO2 in these 41 European countries in 2018 is estimated to be at around 55,000 premature deaths (around 54,000 in the EU-28). In respect of NO2, a comparison with the 2009 impacts (120,000 premature deaths in Europe and 117,000 in the EU-28) shows that the number of premature deaths decreased by 54%.
Finally, exposure to ground-level O3 is estimated to have caused 20,600 premature deaths in 2018 in Europe, and 19,400 in the EU-28, which is an increase of 20% for Europe and 24% for the EU-28 based on 2009 figures (17,100 premature deaths in Europe and 15,700 in the EU-28). This increase seen between these two specific years can be attributed to the strong impact of high temperatures on O3 concentrations during the summer of 2018.
To see the report: https://bit.ly/2ITvI2F (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)