Air pollution - Why care? (Latvia)

Improving air quality is one of the main priorities of Latvia’s environmental policy[1]. Air pollution has a significant impact on human health. In 2000, it was estimated that fine particle (PM_2.5) air pollution reduced life expectancy by 4–6 months[2] and, as such, was the greatest risk to public health in Latvia.

In Latvia, the impact of air pollution on ecosystems mainly relates to an excess of the nutrient nitrogen in the form of ammonia and nitrogen oxides. These pollutants can  disrupt plant communities and leach into fresh water, leading to eutrophication, a loss of biodiversity and the production of ground-level ozone resulting in physical damage and the reduced growth of agricultural crops, forests and plants.