Published : Mar 07,
2013 Last modified : Mar 08, 2013 10:54
AM
The city of Dublin was the setting for the
first Eye on Earth User Conference, organised
by the European Environment Agency (EEA)
in association with the Irish Published
: Mar 18, 2013 Last modified : Mar 23, 2013
05:09 PM
Air pollutant emissions were above legal
limits in eight Member States in 2011, preliminary
data shows. In 2010, 12 Member States exceeded
these limits, according to final official
data reported under the European Union’s
National Emission Ceilings (NEC) Directive.
Although the new data
shows some clear improvement between 2010
and 2011, Europe still needs to work hard
to reduce air pollution. Emissions from
transport are still a major problem, particularly
in some cities.
Several air pollutants
are still harming health and the environment
in Europe. The most serious air pollutants
are particulate matter, ozone and nitrogen
dioxide, a fact which is also reflected
in the new version of AirBase launched today
by the European Environment Agency (EEA).
AirBase provides publicly-available air
quality information for Europe.
"Although the new
data shows some clear improvement between
2010 and 2011, Europe still needs to work
hard to reduce air pollution," EEA
Executive Director Jacqueline McGlade said.
"Emissions from transport are still
a major problem, particularly in some cities."
Air emissions limits
breached by many countries
The NEC Directive covers
four main air pollutants: sulphur dioxide
(SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), non-methane
volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) and
ammonia (NH3). These pollutants can cause
respiratory problems, contribute to the
acidification of soil and surface water,
and damage vegetation.
An early analysis of
the official ‘final’ 2010 data confirms
twelve Member States exceeded their respective
NOx ceilings. According to preliminary data,
seven of these Member States continued to
breach these NOx ceilings in 2011, in some
instances by significant amounts. The status
for 30 European countries is shown on the
chart below. The data can be explored in
depth in the National Emission Ceilings
(NEC) interactive chart. Germany was the
only Member State to have exceeded three
of four emission ceilings under the directive
in both 2010 and 2011.
