Europe now has a unique opportunity to set an ambitious agenda that addresses the systemic causes of environmental pressures and air pollution, said Hans Bruyninckx, Executive Director of the Environment Agency.
In particular particulates, nitrogen dioxide and ground-level ozone are responsible for this air pollution in Europe. According to the report, particulates(PM2.5) caused more than 410,000 premature deaths in 41 European countries in 2016, while nitrogen oxides were responsible for 71,000 and ozone pollution for 15,100 deaths. Despite the frightening figures: There are significantly fewer premature deaths than a few years earlier.
"We are making progress, but it is time to accelerate changes in our energy, food and mobility systems to put us on a path to sustainability and a healthy environment," said Hans Bruyninckx, Executive Director of the European Environment Agency.
But the negative consequences of air pollution also have an economic impact: Poor air quality leads to economic losses due to higher health costs, lower yields from agriculture and forestry and the lower productivity of labour. Overall, it is air and noise pollution, but also extreme temperatures, that particularly affect the lives of city dwellers living in Europe.
Small combustion plants cause the most particulates
The main source of primary particulate matter in the 28 EU states is the operation of small combustion plants in businesses and households. People perceive heating with wood as particularly comfortable and climate-friendly because it causes comparatively low CO₂ emissions. However, outdated wood-burning stoves, the lack of particulates filters and incorrect operation cause considerable particulates pollution, which far exceeds the particulates pollution caused by traffic both in Germany and throughout the EU.
The result is that 44 percent of people living in European cities and suburbs are exposed to particulates concentrations (PM10) that exceed the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendation for an annual average of 20 micrograms per cubic metre. For the even finer, more dangerous particles, the WHO sets a limit of 10 micrograms per cubic metre - 77 per cent of the population breathes air that does not meet this target and affects health.
From the point of view of environmental epidemiologist Barbara Hoffmann from the Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf, it is good news that the health effects of air pollution with particulateshave slightly decreased overall: "Unfortunately, this decrease is very slow," she told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, "and in some regions of Europe, especially in the east and south, you can still find quite considerable pollution with particulates."
The burden in northern Europe, for example in Iceland or Finland, is significantly lower than that in eastern Europe, northern Italy or Turkey. Germany is in the lower third and thus has a lower burden than most EU countries.
Air pollution: traffic, power plants, industry, agriculture
Other sources of pollutant emissions are road traffic, power plants, industry and agriculture. Traffic is particularly responsible for increased nitrogen oxide levels: both in Germany and in Europe. Its share of total nitrogen oxide emissions is just under 40 percent.
Another problem was reported by the British daily newspaper The Guardian at the beginning of the year: the ammonia content in the air is also increasing, triggered by agriculture. What is particularly problematic is that ammonia can combine with other pollutants in the air and damage human health. In the UK alone, according to The Guardian, 3,000 deaths a year could be avoided if ammonia emissions from farms were halved.
Ultimately, the sources described are closely linked to production and consumption in Europe and are also important drivers of greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss.
EEA figures are from 2016, ultra particulates is missing
The European Energy Agency's research shows that every effort to improve air quality in Europe and thus reduce air pollution is worthwhile. The fact that air quality is developing at least somewhat positively in some countries is a good trend, albeit a small one. But: the EEA's figures from the 4,000 measuring stations across Europe are from 2016, so they are already three years old again.
In addition: the study lacks illumination of the particularly dangerous particles known as ultra-particulates. In Germany, particulates of the size PM1 is not measured nationwide - for the even smaller, ultra-fine particles, there are no limit values at all from the WHO, the EU or the Federal Environment Agency, because there are still too few studies on this. Yet specialists warn against these particles in particular because they can penetrate the cardiovascular system much more deeply than the larger particulates particles.
European Green Deal as a path to less air pollution?
The future President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, wants to address the issue of climate neutrality and air pollution with a European Green Deal. To this end, she wants to launch a cross-cutting strategy to protect citizens' health from pollution and to improve air and water quality, among other things. In view of the European Environment Agency's report on air quality in Europe, this is a sensible project. Despite small progress, there is enormous pressure for action on the part of politicians.
The free download of the Air Quality in Europe Report is available here.
(Image source: Johannes Plenio, Pixabay)
