Air pollution - Outlook 2020 (Portugal)

The Gothenburg Protocol to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication and Ground-level Ozone within the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP) aims to control and reduce emissions of certain pollutants, for which emission ceilings have been established for 2010: NOx, NH₃, NMVOC and SO₂. It was ratified by Portugal in 2005.

The emission ceilings (in thousand tonnes per year) established under this Protocol for Portugal are as follows:

The National Emission Ceilings Directive obliges Member States to develop a national programme for reductions of emissions of SO₂, NOx, NMVOC and NH₃. Decree-Law No. 193/2003 of 22 August 2003 set 2010 national emission ceiling targets as follows: 160 kt for SO₂, 250 kt for NOx, 180 kt for NMVOC and 90 kt for NH₃. The National Emission Ceilings Programme (NECP) was published in December 2002 to identify the measures to enable Portugal to meet the limits laid down by the Directive. The NECP was updated in 2006 and published in the Portuguese Council of Ministers Resolution No. 103/2007 of 6 August 2007.

The 2006 NECP estimates that the ceilings established for emissions of sulphur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and ammonia (NH₃) will be met. 2010 emissions are estimated at 133 kt SO₂ (27 kt below the ceiling); 242 kt NOx (8 kt below the ceiling), 69 kt NH₃ (21 kt below the ceiling) and 194 kt of non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC) (14 kt or 8 % above the ceiling).

NMVOC emissions are forecast to overshoot their established ceiling by 8 %. However, as this value is within the margin of error of the estimates, which are somewhat uncertain, no additional measures are considered necessary to guarantee respect of the ceiling.