The air pollution data centre provides access to data and information related to the amount of air pollutants emitted into the atmosphere from different anthropogenic (human-made) sources as well as measured ambient air pollution at monitoring stations across Europe. The air pollution data centre also provides access to related products for air pollution indicators and assessments. Priority is given to providing policy-relevant data and information for European and national institutions, professionals, researchers and the public.
Accumulated ozone exposure values for forest — over a threshold of 40 parts per billion (AOT40f) — for 2017, as calculated for the fusion maps and as measured at rural background stations.
The lockdown and related measures implemented by many European countries to stop the spread of COVID-19 have led to a sudden decrease in economic activities, including a drop in road transport in many cities. To assess how this has affected concentrations of air pollution, the EEA has developed a viewer that tracks the weekly average concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5).
The European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) is a web-based register established by Regulation (EC) No 166/2006 which implements the UNECE PRTR Protocol, signed in May 2003 in Kiev.
The map uses a colour gradient to show the number hazards (left) and number of vulnerability causes (right), for which the NUTS2 region is in the top 20% of exposure in Europe
This country profile summarizes key data related to industry: its relevance with respect to economic contributions, energy and water consumption, as well as air and water emissions and waste generation. Country profiles are also available for EEA 33 member countries and EU-28 member states as a group, see the links below.
The annual EU limit value for nitrogen dioxide — one of the main air quality pollutants of concern, which is typically associated with vehicle emissions — was widely exceeded across Europe in 2017. Some 86 % o f these exceedances were detected at roadside monitoring locations.
The EU limit values for the two categories of particulate matter (PM 10 and PM 2.5 ) were also widely exceeded in 2017. For PM 2.5 , the percentage of exceedances recorded at traffic stations was very similar to that recorded at background stations. For PM 10 , a higher percentage of exceedances was recorded at background stations than at traffic stations. This indicates the importance of other emission sources for these pollutants, such as commercial and institutional buildings, household heating, etc.
Between 1990 and 2017, the transport sector significantly reduced emissions of the following air pollutants: carbon monoxide and non-methane volatile organic compounds (both by around 87 %), sulphur oxides (66 %) and nitrogen oxides (40 %). Since 2000, a reduction in particulate matter emissions (44 % for PM 2.5 and 35 % for PM 10 ) has occurred.
Emissions from road transport have declined less than was anticipated over the last two decades and continue to decrease (except emissions of sulphur oxides in recent years). In 2017, emissions were lower than in the previous year: emissions of nitrogen oxides decreased by 3 % and those of carbon monoxide by 3.2 %, those of PM 10 and PM 2.5 decreased by 1.4 % and 3.6 %, respectively. Emissions of sulphur oxides increased by 2.7 % in 2017, compared with 2016, but it is still less than 1 % of what have been emitted in 1990.
Emissions of air pollutants have decreased for all transport modes since 1990, except for shipping, for which nitrogen oxide emissions have increased, and aviation, for which emissions of all pollutants (except non-methane volatile organic compounds) have increased.
The European Union established an inventory of emissions from large combustion plants in 2004. The inventory was governed by the Directive on the limitation of emissions of certain pollutants into the air from large combustion plants (LCP Directive, 2001/80/EC) until 2015 year. As from 2016 reporting year, the reporting takes place according to the Industrial Emissions Directive (2010/75/EU, Article 72). Large Combustion Plants are those with a rated thermal input equal to or greater than 50 MW, irrespective of the type of fuel used. Power plants, steel works or district heating plants are examples of these type of plants.
The European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) is a web-based register established by Regulation (EC) No 166/2006 which implements the UNECE PRTR Protocol, signed in May 2003 in Kiev.
The European Union established an inventory of emissions from large combustion plants in 2004. The inventory was governed by the Directive on the limitation of emissions of certain pollutants into the air from large combustion plants (LCP Directive, 2001/80/EC) until 2015 year. As from 2016 reporting year, the reporting takes place according to the Industrial Emissions Directive (2010/75/EU, Article 72). Large Combustion Plants are those with a rated thermal input equal to or greater than 50 MW, irrespective of the type of fuel used. Power plants, steel works or district heating plants are examples of these type of plants.
This database contain policies and measures (PaMs) reported by EU Member States following European Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/1522 of 11 October 2018 laying down a common format for national air pollution control programmes under Directive (EU) 2016/2284 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the reduction of national emissions of certain atmospheric pollutants.
The annual EU limit value for nitrogen dioxide — one of the main air quality pollutants of concern, which is typically associated with vehicle emissions — was widely exceeded across Europe in 2017. Some 86 % o f these exceedances were detected at roadside monitoring locations.
The EU limit values for the two categories of particulate matter (PM 10 and PM 2.5 ) were also widely exceeded in 2017. For PM 2.5 , the percentage of exceedances recorded at traffic stations was very similar to that recorded at background stations. For PM 10 , a higher percentage of exceedances was recorded at background stations than at traffic stations. This indicates the importance of other emission sources for these pollutants, such as commercial and institutional buildings, household heating, etc.
Between 1990 and 2017, the transport sector significantly reduced emissions of the following air pollutants: carbon monoxide and non-methane volatile organic compounds (both by around 87 %), sulphur oxides (66 %) and nitrogen oxides (40 %). Since 2000, a reduction in particulate matter emissions (44 % for PM 2.5 and 35 % for PM 10 ) has occurred.
Emissions from road transport have declined less than was anticipated over the last two decades and continue to decrease (except emissions of sulphur oxides in recent years). In 2017, emissions were lower than in the previous year: emissions of nitrogen oxides decreased by 3 % and those of carbon monoxide by 3.2 %, those of PM 10 and PM 2.5 decreased by 1.4 % and 3.6 %, respectively. Emissions of sulphur oxides increased by 2.7 % in 2017, compared with 2016, but it is still less than 1 % of what have been emitted in 1990.
Emissions of air pollutants have decreased for all transport modes since 1990, except for shipping, for which nitrogen oxide emissions have increased, and aviation, for which emissions of all pollutants (except non-methane volatile organic compounds) have increased.
Exposure of ecosystems to acidification in the EU-28 (critical loads from 43 % in 1980 to 7 % in 2010) and EEA member countries (to 7 %) has been decreasing since 1980s, although in some areas reduction targets, as defined as interim objective in the EU's National Emission Ceilings Directive, have not been met. Exposure to acidification can lead to disturbances in the structure and function of ecosystems. As a result, full ecosystem recovery may take longer time after reaching the targets.
Exposure of ecosystems to eutrophication in the EU-28 (critical loads from 84 % in 1990 to 63 % in 2010) and EEA member countries (to 55 %) has been decreasing since 1990. The area in exceedance is projected to further decrease to 58 % in 2020 for the EU-28 (48 % in the EEA member countries), assuming current legislation is implemented. The magnitude of the exceedances is also projected to decline considerably in most areas, except for a few 'hot spot' areas in western France and the border areas between Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, as well as in northern Italy.
Looking ahead, only 4 % of the EU-28 ecosystem area (3 % in EEA member countries) is projected to exceed acidification critical loads in 2020 if current legislation is fully implemented. The eutrophication reduction target set in the updated EU air pollution strategy proposed by the European Commission in late 2013, will be met by 2030 if it is assumed that all maximum technically feasible reduction measures are implemented, but it will not be met by current legislation.
For ozone, most of Europe's vegetation and agricultural crops are exposed to ozone levels that exceed the long term objective specified in the EU's Air Quality Directive. A significant fraction is also exposed to levels above the target value threshold defined in the directive. The effect-related concentrations show large year-to-year variations. Over the period 1996-2017, the concentrations observed at rural background stations increased until 2006, after which they decreased. After a 6-year period (2009-2014) of relatively low values, the fraction of agricultural crops exposed to levels above the target value increased again to 30 % in 2015. However, at the low end of the exposure spectrum there was an increase in the area with levels below the long-term objective from 15 % (2014) to 24 % (2017).
During the past 5 years, around 50-65 % of the forest area was exposed to ozone concentrations above the critical level set by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) for the protection of forests.
The lockdown and related measures implemented by many European countries to stop the spread of COVID-19 have led to a sudden decrease in economic activities, including a drop in road transport in many cities. To assess how this has affected concentrations of air pollution, the EEA has developed a viewer that tracks the weekly average concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5).
This country profile summarizes key data related to industry: its relevance with respect to economic contributions, energy and water consumption, as well as air and water emissions and waste generation. Country profiles are also available for EEA 33 member countries and EU-28 member states as a group, see the links below.
Accumulated ozone exposure values for forest — over a threshold of 40 parts per billion (AOT40f) — for 2017, as calculated for the fusion maps and as measured at rural background stations.
The map uses a colour gradient to show the number hazards (left) and number of vulnerability causes (right), for which the NUTS2 region is in the top 20% of exposure in Europe
The annual EU limit value for nitrogen dioxide — one of the main air quality pollutants of concern, which is typically associated with vehicle emissions — was widely exceeded across Europe in ...
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