Air Pollution
Copenhagen, 3rd September 2014
Valentin Foltescu
Project manager – air quality
European Environment Agency
Air pollution, transport and noise
MAWP Strategic Area 1.1
Objective
To support and inform policy development and implementation in the
areas of air pollution, transport and environment and noise by means of
data, information/indicators and assessments.
Specifically
• to collect, process, quality-assure, store, and disseminate historical —
and where possible up-to-date (i.e. near-real-time) — data
underpinning these policies;
• to track progress towards, and provide outlooks for, the achievement of
targets as defined in relevant EU and international legislation, including
the long-term objectives of minimising impacts from air pollution and
the decarbonisation of the transport sector.
What are the main concerns for Europe’s air?
Particulate matter (PM) and its threat to human health.
Ozone (O3) due to its health impacts and harm to
vegetation.
Eutrophication from high emissions of nitrogen
oxides (NOx) and ammonia (NH3). These
pollutants can cause harmful atmospheric
deposition of nutrient nitrogen to sensitive
ecosystems, such as grasslands and nutrientpoor lakes.
Exposure to harmful levels of air pollution
EU urban population exposed to harmful levels of air pollution, according to:
EU limit values
WHO guidelines
Up to a third of Europeans living in cities are exposed to air pollutant levels exceeding EU air
quality standards. And around 90 % of Europeans living in cities are exposed to levels of air
pollutants deemed damaging to health by the World Health Organization’s more stringent
guidelines. (based on 2011 data in AirBase).
Countries are exceeding EU air quality standards
In 2011, 18 EU Member States exceeded the target
value threshold for ozone (O3) concentrations on
more than 25 days.
During the same year, 22 EU Member States
exceeded the EU daily limit value for particulate
matter (PM10) concentrations.
The European policy response
EU legislation limits the emissions of pollutants and sets maximum
levels for concentrations of these pollutants in the air.
For pollutant emissions, the 2001
National Emissions Ceiling (NEC) Directive
sets ceiling limits for emissions of SO2,
NOX, NMVOC and NH3. These ceilings
should have been met by all EU Member
States by 2010.
These ceilings are supported by a range of
sectoral measures controlling emissions
from road transport, industry, etc.
For pollutant concentrations, two Air
Quality Directives (2008/50/EC and
2004/107/EC) set legally binding limits
and target values for ground-level
concentrations of outdoor air pollutants.
Data, analyses and assessments at subnational level
Emissions data – E-PRTR
Pollutant release data from facility-level reporting to
European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR)
•
•
•
•
•
http://prtr.ec.europa.eu/
Releases to air, water, land and
off-site waste transfers from
30 000 industrial facilities.
Updated annually
Included facilities
are defined in E-PRTR
Regulation Annex I
EC 166/2006
Coverage: EU28
+ NO, IS, LI, CH, RS
A cooperation between
DG ENV and EEA
Air quality management zones and attainment status
• Metadata for monitoring in
zones
• Exceedance and/or
concentration data for all
regulated pollutants: PM10,
PM2.5, O3, SO2, NO2, CO, VOC,
PAH, benzene, toxic metals
• Supplementary assessment by
modelling
• Population exposed
• Info on natural contributions
• Info on winter sanding/salting
• Info on transboundary
pollution
• http://www.eea.europa.eu/dat
a-and-maps/data/zones-inrelation-to-eu-air-qualitythresholds-5#tab-gis-data
AirBase - The European air quality database
2012 data (v. 8)
Total reporting countries
Total number of stations
SO2
NO2
NOx
PM10
PM2.5 Pb
CO
C6H6
O3
As
Cd
Ni
Hg
TSP
(aero.)
BS
Bap
(PM10)
36
37
37
38
33
24
36
34
37
22
24
23
6
17
15
21
4552
5335
4302
4492
1448
824
2522
1538
3508
447
530
484
69
1365
618
770
http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/airbase-exchange-of-information-5
Interactive AirBase
Search for a location and/or click on
a station to learn more about its air
quality
http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/air/air-quality/map/airbase/air-quality-statistics-at-reporting-stations
Interactive real-time air quality data
http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/air/air-quality/map/real-time-map
Spatial data: Pollutant concentrations
http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/air/air-quality/map/airbase/air-quality-interpolated-maps
Spatial data: Ozone concentrations threat to crops
Exposure levels of European agricultural areas to ozone (O3):
High levels of O3 concentrations harm human health and agricultural output. Losses of crop
yields also have consequences for the European economy.
Source: EEA CSI005 indicator
Spatial data: eutrophication and acidification
Source: EEA CSI005 indicator
Trends in pollutant concentrations
Air quality in (urban audit) cities
Pollution status for PM, O3,
NO2 and BaP
by:
• concentrations
• exceedances of air quality
standards
• affected population
AirBase stations are mapped
with a total of 761 cities
available from the eurostat
“urban audit2012” data set,
for a total population of
173 875 740.
Air Implementation Pilot: Implementation
• Communication on implementing
issues
• Air Policy Review
• 7 Environmental Action Plan
Focus on Implementation
Implementation: not only compliance but collaborative work to
build capacity and knowledge to get a more effective policy
PILOT:
1. To identify implementation challenge
2. To identify how to address it
18
Air Implementation Pilot: description
A joint project: DG ENV + EEA + cities experts
Objectives:
• Better understand challenges faced when implementing AQ legislation.
• Exchange of experiences (good practices) also with other cities
• Develop general proposal to improve implementation.
• Not intended to solve AQ problems, but improve information base for future
action
Workstreams:
• Emission
inventories
• Modelling
• Monitoring
networks
• Management
• Information to the
public
19
Air Implementation Pilot: conclusions
• Some conclusions from the working streams:
– Need of training and guidance, improved input data
– Lack of competences
– Need of further support from European
legislation/regulations
• Feedback from cities for further steps
– Potential to strengthen local assessment and management
capacities
– Follow up communication momentum (using existing
networks?)
– Keep on supporting exchange of experiences (for instance,
using new cost-effective technologies)
20
Air pollution publications
2014 EEA publications
● Air quality in Europe – 2014 report
● Towards integrated assessment of air quality and climate policies
● Updated costs of air pollution from industrial facilities in Europe
● Annual Transport and Environment Reporting Mechanism report
(TERM)
● CO2 emissions performance of car manufacturers in 2013
● Air pollution by ozone across Europe during summer 2013
● Annual NEC Directive status report 2013
● European Union emission inventory report under the UNECE
LRTAP Convention
● Impacts of air pollution on Europe’s ecosystems - acidification and
eutrophication
Thank you
Valentin.Foltescu@eea.europa.eu
How can Europe respond to the air quality challenges?
Continued investment in the knowledge base
Together with other techniques, air monitoring stations across Europe feed the knowledge base on
air. While some of the monitoring stations may have been substituted by other techniques, it is
important to maintain, and in certain cases improve the monitoring infrastructure.
Further emission reductions
Emissions of some pollutants from certain sectors have increased over the last decade. For
example, emissions of PM have increased from homes and commercial facilities. Air pollutant
emissions from farming have also changed little in the same period.
Capacity building for implementation
The gap between EU air quality targets and the reality of European air quality points to the need
for better implementation of air quality legislation. Implementation can be improved by building
capacity over time and by better understanding the specific problems when implementing
environmental legislation.
Countries to meet existing emission and AQ targets
Too many countries are still not in compliance with EU emissions ceilings. These countries must
make a renewed effort to reduce their emissions.