Press release
Published: 26 May 2011
New online maps published today by the European
Commission and the European Environment
Agency, in close cooperation with the Institute
for Environment and Sustainability (IES)
of the Joint Research Centre, allow citizens
to pinpoint the main diffuse sources of
air pollution, such as transport and aviation.
The new set of 32 maps shows where certain
pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and particulate
matter are released. It complements existing
data on emissions from individual industrial
plants from the European Pollutant Release
and Transfer Register (E-PRTR). The Europe-wide
register aims to help Europeans actively
engage in decisions affecting the environment.
Environment Commissioner
Janez Potocnik said: “These maps give Europeans
important information about the sources
of air pollution. It shows a genuine commitment
to share information with citizens and increase
their understanding of where pollution in
their neighbourhood is coming from."
Professor Jacqueline
McGlade, Executive Director of the European
Environment Agency, added: “Air pollution
is a serious health threat, especially to
risk-prone groups such as children and people
with respiratory diseases. By informing
citizens about air pollution from transport,
households and other sources where they
live, these maps empower them to take action
and urge authorities to make improvements.”
The E-PRTR, launched
in 2009 to improve access to environmental
information, contains data reported by individual
industrial facilities (point sources) and,
as of today, information on emissions from
road transport, shipping, aviation, heating
of buildings, agriculture and small businesses
(diffuse sources).
Diffuse sources of pollution
are widespread and/or concentrated in highly
populated areas. A large number of many
tiny emissions from houses and vehicles
represent collectively a large, diffuse
source of pollution, in particular in cities.
The new, comprehensive
set of 32 maps allows Europeans to see on
a scale of 5 km by 5 km where pollutants
are released. They include details of nitrogen
oxides (NOX), sulphur oxides (SOX), carbon
monoxide (CO), ammonia (NH3) and particulate
matter (PM10).
What do the maps show?
While air quality data are publicly available
from both national and European data providers[1],
these data do not provide information concerning
the various sources of pollution. The new
maps raise awareness about local releases
of air pollutants, and allow citizens to
zoom in on their own neighbourhood. In addition,
air quality experts can use the data for
modelling, thereby assessing the environmental
consequences of local emissions.
The spatial distribution
maps reveal, for example, large hotspots
for emissions of ammonia (NH3) from agriculture
in the Po Valley in Italy, in Brittany in
France, and the Benelux countries. High
levels of ammonia emissions harm the environment
by contributing to soil and freshwater acidification
and eutrophication.
They also show the extent
to which NOX and PM10 emissions from road
transport occur in large urban areas and
along the main road networks. In cities
road transport in particular contributes
significantly to the levels of PM10 in the
air we breathe.
E-PRTR maps
Background
In 2003, parties to the Aarhus Convention
– including the EU – adopted the Protocol
on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers
(PRTR), which entered into force on 8 October
2009. The EU has gone beyond the PRTR Protocol
by requiring Member States to report information
on an additional five pollutants to the
85 substances listed, and imposing more
stringent reporting thresholds for another
six.
Information in the E-PRTR
is updated in May each year. In addition
to the 27 Member States of the European
Union, it also includes data from Switzerland,
Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Serbia
started reporting to the E-PRTR in 2011.
The website now includes the new information
on diffuse source releases into air for
2008 covering key pollutants. Further information
on diffuse source releases into water and
soil will be included in coming years.
+ More
Recession and renewables
cut greenhouse emissions in 2009
Press release
Published: 31 May 2011
Greenhouse gas emissions decreased very
sharply in 2009, by 7.1 % in the EU-27 and
6.9 % in the EU-15. These most recent results,
compiled by the European Environment Agency
(EEA), confirm estimates made by the EEA
last year. This decrease was largely the
result of the economic recession of 2009,
but also sustained strong growth in renewable
energy.
Professor Jacqueline
McGlade, Executive Director of the European
Environment Agency, said: "Although
much of the decrease in greenhouse gases
is due to the recession, we are starting
to see the results of many EU and Member
States’ proactive policies in renewable
energy. We hope that policy makers continue
to build on this success to cut emissions
further."
The 2009 recession affected
all economic sectors in the EU, leading
to a decrease in energy demand. Consumption
of fossil fuels fell compared to the previous
year, mainly for coal, which in turn led
to even steeper emission reductions. In
relative terms, the largest emission reductions
occurred in manufacturing industries and
construction, and in public electricity
and heat supply. Despite the relatively
cold winter of 2009, emissions also fell
in the residential sector.
Alongside falling energy
demand linked to the economic recession,
there was a strong growth in renewable energy
deployment, particularly biomass, wind and
solar, leading to a significant increase
in the share of renewables in final energy
in the EU. Primary energy consumption of
renewables increased by 5.8% in the EU-27,
according to Eurostat energy balances for
2009.
Key findings for 2009
The economic recession and the increase
of renewable energy in final energy consumption
were the main factors behind the fall in
emissions in 2009.
In the EU-27, total
GHG emissions decreased by 17.4 % in the
EU-27 between 11000 and 2009 (974 million
tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent, or CO2-e).
In line with EEA estimates made last year,
emissions decreased by 7.1 % (-355 million
tonnes CO2-e) between 2008 and 2009.
In 2009, total GHG emissions
in the EU-15[1] were 12.7 % (542 million
tonnes CO2-e) below the base year level.
Emissions decreased by 6.9 % (274 million
tonnes CO2-e between 2008 and 2009.
Emissions of GHGs from
international aviation and shipping decreased
by 8.6 % in the EU-27 between 2008 and 2009.
These two sectors currently represent 6.3
% of total GHG emissions.
