Air pollution - National Responses (Iceland)

In Iceland, municipalities are responsible for actions against local air pollution.

In Reykjavík, by far the biggest municipality, the local authorities take up a media campaign in the beginning of every winter against the use of studded tyres. The result is that the use of studded tyres in Reykjavík has fallen from 67 % in March 2002 to 39 % in March 2010.

Reykjavík has published an action plan against air pollution (1).

At national level, guidelines to decrease particulate matter due to the use of studded tyres and because of soot from engines have been published (2).

Icelandic regulations relating to air pollution are based on EU directives. In addition, in June 2010 a new legal act (regulation) that stipulates limit values for hydrogen sulphide in ambient air was issued in Iceland, but no such limit values for hydrogen sulphide are in place in EU. The objective of this regulation is to prevent harmful effects of hydrogen sulphide on human health and the environment as a whole.

To encourage sale on more environmentally friendly cars, taxes on cars that use methane or hydrogen as an energiser have been abolish.

References

(1) Action plan against air pollution in Reykjavík. Report in Icelandic. http://www.rvk.is/Portaldata/1/Resources/umhverfissvid/vi_brag_s__tlun_loftmengun.pdf

(2) Hermann Sveinbjörnsson, Eiríkur Bjarnason, Lárus Sveinsson, Þór Tómasson, Þorsteinn Jóhannsson, Þórir Ingason. (2007). Mitigation guidelines to decrease particulate matter due to the use of studded tyres and because of soot from engines. Report in Icelandic. Ministry for the Environment and Ministry of Transport.

(3) National strategy on Air quality, Environment Agency of Iceland. Report in Icelandic. http://www.ust.is/media/fraedsluefni/utgefid/landsaatlun_um_loftgadi_www.pdf