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Impact of selected policy measures on Europe's air quality: The main objective of the present study is to analyse and quantify the effects that certain past policy measures in the road transport and industrial combustion facilities have had on the magnitude of air pollutant emissions and subsequent air quality in Europe. The policies selected are the Euro emission standards for road vehicles and the EU directives on Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) and large combustion plants (LCP).
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Annual mean NO2 concentration observed at urban background stations, 1997-2009 (EU-27): The figuer shows the annual mean NO2 concentration observed at urban background stations. Only urban and sub-urban background monitoring stations have been included in the calculations. Data for Cyprus, Luxembourg and Malta, are not included due to the geographical coverage of the Urban Audit.
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Contributions by sector for emissions of acidifying pollutants (EEA member countries): The contribution made by different sectors to emissions of acidifying pollutants
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50 years of protecting Europe's environment: Today the European Union has the most environmentally friendly arsenal of rules in the world and has done more to tackle pressing ecological problems, such as climate change, than any other major power. But it has not always been like this. Caring for the environment did not feature in the Treaty of Rome, the document that gave birth to the modern day EU. Yet environmental problems were never far away. Europe’s love affair with the car was moving into top gear, industry was busy belching out pollutants and raw sewage was being pumped into our rivers and seas.
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Clean air for Europe: Air pollution is a growing concern in the area of public health. Scientific research shows that air pollutants are behind a higher number of diseases such as respiratory allergies, asthma and inflammatory conditions. It is the most vulnerable segments of populations, the elderly and children, who are the first to be affected by this phenomenon. In May 2001, the European Commission launched its " Clean Air for Europe " (CAFE) programme. This is a three-year programme intended to investigate all sources of air pollution and provide solutions to reduce them.
Located in Environmental topics › Air pollution › Multimedia
Giving Europe more breathing space: Air pollution has been one of Europe’s main concerns since the late 1970s. Over the last few decades, the rapid growth in industry and increased reliance on cars and public transport has contributed to a rapid decline in air quality, from smog and acid rain to asthma and other respiratory diseases.
Located in Environmental topics › Air pollution › Multimedia
Distance-to-target for EEA member countries: The distance-to-target indicator shows how current NMVOC emissions compare to a linear emission reduction 'target-path' between 2010 emission levels and the 2020 emission ceiling for each country. Negative percentage values indicate the current emissions in a country are below the linear target path; positive values show that current emission lie above a linear target path to 2020.
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Sulphur dioxide 2010 - Daily limit value for the protection of human health: In the air quality directive (2008/EC/50) the EU has set two limit values for sulphur dioxide (SO2) for the protection of human health: the SO2 hourly mean value may not exceed 350 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) more than 24 times in a year and the SO2 daily mean value may not exceed 125 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) more than 3 times in a year.
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Benzo(a)pyrene 2010 - Annual target value for the protection of human health: In the directive 2004/107/EC (Fourth Daughter Directive), the EU has set a target value for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) for the protection of human health; the target is defined in terms of concentration of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) which is used as a marker substance for PAHs generally: the BaP annual mean value may not exceed 1 nanogram per cubic metre (ng/m3). The target value enters into force 31.12.2012.
Located in Data and maps › Maps and graphs
Sulphur dioxide 2010 - Hourly limit value for the protection of human health: In the air quality directive (2008/EC/50) the EU has set two limit values for sulphur dioxide (SO2) for the protection of human health: the SO2 hourly mean value may not exceed 350 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) more than 24 times in a year and the SO2 daily mean value may not exceed 125 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) more than 3 times in a year.
Located in Data and maps › Maps and graphs