Environmental inequalities

Communities with lower levels of income and education are often more impacted by air, water and noise pollution, as well as climate change. So are the elderly, children and other vulnerable groups. In many cases, vulnerable groups are exposed to multiple environment- and climate-related hazards.

Europeans enjoy on average a good quality of life, compared with other parts of the world. Still, many communities in Europe are impacted in different ways by environmental and socio-economic inequalities at national, regional, neighbourhood and individual levels, our research shows.

The elderly, children and the poor are more likely to have their health affected or worsened by environmental hazards. The oldest and the youngest people are more vulnerable to poor air quality, pollution, noise, and extreme temperatures — both cold and heat. Children are also particularly negatively affected by noise.

People with lower levels of education, lower incomes or manual jobs tend to have less access to high quality food and worse overall health, including higher stress levels, which makes them more sensitive to environmental health hazards. These social groups also tend to be more exposed to environmental hazards, as they live, work and go to school in places with worse environmental quality and more pollution. Cheaper housing is frequently more difficult to keep cool in summer and warm in winter.

There are pronounced regional differences in social vulnerability and exposure to environmental health hazards across Europe:

Regions with lower average socio-economic status and higher proportions of elderly people in southern and south-eastern Europe experience greater exposure to ground-level ozone and high air temperatures;
Regions that are both relatively poorer and more polluted in terms of particulate matter (PM) are located mainly in eastern and south-eastern Europe.

Cities can play a crucial role in alleviating some of these issues within broader urban sustainability efforts.

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How to protect the vulnerable

Many regional and city authorities are proactive in reducing the impact of environmental hazards on the most vulnerable members of society:

Improved spatial planning and road traffic management, such as the introduction of low-emission zones in city centers reduce exposure to air pollution and noise in areas where socially vulnerable groups live.
A ban on certain domestic heating fuels, like coal, also leads to improved air quality in low-income zones, possibly with subsidies for low-income households.
Examples of actions aimed at protecting children from aircraft and road noise include the provision of noise barriers and protective structures in outdoor play areas.
Many national and local authorities have put action plans in place to improve emergency response to help the elderly and other vulnerable people during heatwaves or cold spells. This is often supplemented by community or voluntary sector initiatives.

Who benefits from green spaces in cities?

Parks, urban forests, tree-lined streets and riverbanks support urban well-being by providing space for rest, relaxation and exercise, and by keeping temperatures down. However, not everyone across Europe enjoys equal access to green space in cities.

The health benefits of urban green space are well recognised for children, whose physical and mental development is enhanced by living, playing and learning in green environments. The elderly also benefit significantly from visiting green and blue spaces, through improved physical health and social well-being.

Our briefing reviews the evidence of socio-economic and demographic inequalities in access to the health benefits derived from urban green and blue spaces across Europe.

Where can you access climate and health-related publications, tools, websites and other resources?

Explore European Climate and Health Observatory website

Siegfried Claeys, Climate Change PIX/EEA

Environmental inequalities

How to protect the vulnerable

Who benefits from green spaces in cities?

Where can you access climate and health-related publications, tools, websites and other resources?

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