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Freshwater - Drivers and pressures (Germany): SOER Common environmental theme from Germany
Located in The European environment – state and outlook 2010 › Country assessments › Germany
Freshwater - Drivers and pressures (Finland): Freshwater - Drivers and Pressures
Located in The European environment – state and outlook 2010 › Country assessments › Finland
Freshwater - State and impacts (Finland): Freshwater - State and Impacts
Located in The European environment – state and outlook 2010 › Country assessments › Finland
Air pollution — key message 2: As the amounts of acidifying air pollutants have fallen, the area of acid-sensitive ecosystems (such as freshwaters and forest soils) adversely affected in Europe has considerably reduced. Nonetheless, biological recovery in freshwaters is slow. The area of sensitive terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems affected by an excess input of atmospheric nitrogen in the EEA-32 has only diminished slightly between 1990 and 2010. The EU’s long-term objective of not exceeding the so-called critical atmospheric pollutant loads, which ecosystems can tolerate, has not been met.
Located in The European environment – state and outlook 2010 › … › Air pollution — SOER 2010 thematic assessment › Key messages
Freshwater - National Responses (Belgium): Nitrogen management plans in the Belgian regions
Located in The European environment – state and outlook 2010 › Country assessments › Belgium
Emissions of ozone precursors (CSI 002) - Assessment published Oct 2010: Emissions of all ground-level ozone precursor pollutants have decreased across the EEA-32 region between 1990 and 2008; nitrogen oxides (NO X ) by 34%, non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) by 45%, carbon monoxide (CO) by 56% and methane (CH 4 ) by 26%. This decrease has been achieved mainly as a result of the introduction of catalytic converters for vehicles. These changes have significantly reduced emissions of NO X and CO from the road transport sector, the main source of ozone precursor emissions. The EU-27 is still some way from meeting its 2010 target to reduce emissions of NO X , one of the two ozone precursors (NO X and NMVOC) for which emission limits exist under the EU's NEC Directive (NECD). Whilst total NMVOC emissions in the EU-27 were below the NECD limit in 2008, a number of individual Member States anticipate missing their ceilings for one or either of these two pollutants. Of the three non-EU countries having emission ceilings set under the UNECE/CLRTAP Gothenburg protocol (Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland), all three countries reported NMVOC emissions in 2008 that were lower than their respective 2010 ceilings. However both Liechtenstein and Norway reported NO x emissions in 2008 that were substantially higher than their respective 2010 ceilings.
Located in Data and maps › Indicators › Emissions of ozone precursors
Emissions of acidifying substances (CSI 001) - Assessment published Oct 2010: Emissions of acidifying pollutants (nitrogen oxides (NO X ), sulphur oxides (SO 2 ) and ammonia (NH 3 ) have decreased significantly in most of the individual EEA member countries between 1990 and 2008. Emissions of SO 2 have decreased by 74 %, NO X by 34 % and NH 3 emissions by 24 % since 1990. The EU-27 is on track to meet its overall target to reduce emissions of SO 2 and NH 3 as specified by the EU's NEC Directive (NECD). However a large number of individual Member States, and the EU as a whole, anticipate missing the 2010 emission ceilings set for NO X in the NECD, Of the three non-EU countries having emission ceilings set under the UNECE/CLRTAP Gothenburg protocol (Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland), both Liechtenstein and Norway also reported NO X emissions in 2008 that were substantially higher than their respective 2010 ceilings.
Located in Data and maps › Indicators › Emissions of acidifying substances
Land use - Drivers and pressures (Sweden): Key drivers and pressures of land use. Links to further national information on land use.
Located in The European environment – state and outlook 2010 › Country assessments › Sweden
Nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions (APE 002) - Assessment published Oct 2010: EEA-32 emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO X ) have decreased by 34% between 1990 and 2008. In 2008, the most significant sources of NO X emissions were the road transport sector (39%), combustion processes from within the energy industries sector (21%), the commercial, institutional and households sector (15%) and from industrial energy use (14%). The largest reduction of emissions since 1990 has occurred in the road transport sector. These reductions have been achieved despite the general increase in activity within this sector since the early 1990s and have primarily been achieved as a result of fitting three-way catalysts to petrol fuelled vehicles. In the electricity/energy production sector reductions have also occurred, in these instances as a result of measures such as the introduction of combustion modification technologies (such as use of low NO X burners), implementation of flue-gas abatement techniques (e.g. NO X scrubbers and selective (SCR) and non-selective (SNCR) catalytic reduction techniques) and fuel-switching from coal to gas. The National Emission Ceilings Directive (NECD) specifies NO X emission ceilings for Member States that must be met by 2010. In general, the newer EU Member States have made substantially better progress towards meeting their respective NO X ceilings than the older Member States of the EU-15. Ten of the twelve post-2004 Member States have already reduced emissions beyond what is required under the NECD, and one (Slovenia) reported NO X emissions just 5% above the NECD target in 2008. In contrast, only one EU-15 Member State (Finland) had 2008 emissions within its respective national ceiling. Many Member States though require a significant reduction of NO X emissions to have been made in 2009 and 2010 if they are to meet their obligations under the NECD. Of the three non-EU countries having emission ceilings set under the UNECE/CLRTAP Gothenburg protocol (Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) only for Switzerland were emissions in 2008 below the level of the respective 2010 ceilings Environmental context: NO X contributes to acid deposition and eutrophication. The subsequent impacts of acid deposition can be significant, including adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems in rivers and lakes and damage to forests, crops and other vegetation. Eutrophication can lead to severe reductions in water quality with subsequent impacts including decreased biodiversity, changes in species composition and dominance, and toxicity effects. It is NO 2 that is associated with adverse affects on human health, as at high concentrations it can cause inflammation of the airways. NO 2 also contributes to the formation of secondary particulate aerosols and tropospheric ozone in the atmosphere - both are important air pollutants due to their adverse impacts on human health.
Located in Data and maps › Indicators › Nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions
Change in emissions of nitrogen oxides compared with the 2010 NECD and Gothenburg protocol targets (EEA member countries): The reported change in nitrogen oxide emissions (NOx) for each country, 1990-2008, in comparison with the 2010 NECD and Gothenburg protocol targets.
Located in Data and maps › Maps and graphs