Air pollutants are still
being emitted above legal limits in the
EU. Recent data from the EU Member States
shows that a number of countries continued
to breach their emission ceilings in 2012.
Air pollution is still a very real problem
- just look at the high concentrations of
air pollution recently seen across large
areas of western Europe. We need to improve
this situation by making further emissions
cuts.
Under the National Emission
Ceilings (NEC) Directive, EU Member States
have individual emission limits, known as
'ceilings', that were to be achieved by
2010 for four different pollutants: sulphur
dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), ammonia
(NH3) and non-methane volatile organic compounds
(NMVOC).
An early analysis of
the official data shows that 11 Member States
breached at least one ceiling in 2012, compared
to 10 countries in 2011. As in previous
years, the most commonly breached ceiling
was nitrogen oxide (NOx), with nine Member
States exceeding their designated levels.
Road transport contributes around 40 % of
total EU NOx emissions and is one of the
main factors behind the large number of
NOx exceedances – reductions from this sector
over the last two decades have not been
as large as originally anticipated.
Hans Bruyninckx, EEA
Executive Director said: "Air pollution
is still a very real problem - just look
at the high concentrations of air pollution
recently seen across large areas of western
Europe. We need to improve this situation
by making further emissions cuts. While
new technologies and practices can help,
we also need to encourage individuals to
take action, for example by encouraging
alternatives to car use."
Two countries – Denmark
and Finland – exceeded the limit for ammonia
(NH3), while only Luxembourg breached the
ceiling for non-methane volatile organic
compounds (NMVOC). Luxembourg was the only
country to breach two ceilings in 2012,
for NOx and NMVOC. All 27 Member States
met the sulphur dioxide (SO2) limits.
The data show that several
countries have persistent problems meeting
their national emission limits – for example,
Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland,
Luxembourg and Spain breached NOx ceilings
in 2010, 2011 and 2012. Denmark and Finland
have exceeded the NH3 ceilings for three
years running. Despite multiple breaches
of the ceilings, emissions of all four pollutants
have decreased in the EU overall between
2011 and 2012.
A detailed assessment
of the data delivered by the Member States
will be published by EEA around June.
+ More
IPCC report shows growing
risks from already-present climate change
Climate change is already
having substantial and widespread impacts
around the world, according to the latest
report from the Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change (IPCC). Drawing on a larger
body of evidence than ever before, it highlights
a wide range of risks in vital areas such
as food supply, human health and economic
development.
Hans Bruyninckx, Executive
Director of the European Environment Agency
said: "Climate change is now visible
in Europe and in all other regions of the
world. As the report notes, the world is
ill-prepared for the changes we have already
put in motion, so we need to adapt. In addition,
we urgently need to reduce global emissions
to avoid the most extreme impacts. The window
for action is closing fast."
Risks for Europe include:
Increased risk of coastal
flooding, erosion and economic losses across
Europe due to accelerating sea-level rise
Increased risk of inland flooding in many
river basins due to projected increases
in heavy rainfall
Increased economic, ecological and social
impacts due to stronger and more frequent
heat waves, including health impacts, decreasing
labour productivity, crop losses, ecosystem
decline and increasing risk of wildfires
in southern Europe
Increased water restrictions due to significant
reductions in water availability, particularly
in southern Europe
The report from the IPCC Working Group II
(WG II) assesses the impacts of climate
change, while also considering the vulnerability
and exposure for both humans and the natural
world to these impacts. It also explores
how the world can adapt to a changing climate.
The report is the second
part of the IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report,
which brings together thousands of scientists
from across the world to present an objective
and complete assessment of current information.
The EEA also carries
out its own assessments, for example on
climate change impacts and adaptation. The
messages from these earlier EEA assessment
reports are in line with the latest IPCC
report. The EEA also manages the Climate-ADAPT
web portal which brings together information
on climate change adaptation from a huge
variety of organisations and projects across
Europe. While the risks highlighted in the
IPCC report may seem daunting, many countries,
regions and cities are taking action to
adapt to climate change, according to some
information on the portal.
