Published : Apr 15,
2013 Last modified : Apr 15, 2013 01:32
PM - Poor air quality can have serious impacts
on our health and the environment. How is
Europe’s air quality? What are the main
sources of air pollutants? How do they affect
our health and the environment? What does
Europe do to improve air quality? The new
edition of the European Environment Agency’s
(EEA) Signals takes a closer look.
Air quality in Europe
has improved greatly in recent decades.
Incidents like the week-long smog episode
in London during December 1952 which killed
several thousand people have not occurred
in Europe for many years. However, air pollution
is still a problem with severe impacts.
Air pollution can trigger
and aggravate respiratory diseases; it can
damage forests, acidify soils and waters,
reduce crop yields and corrode buildings.
In particular, pollution from particulate
matter and pollution from ozone pose serious
health risks to European citizens. Almost
one third of Europe's city dwellers are
still exposed to excessive concentrations
of airborne particulate matter. Air pollution
is also found to reduce the life expectancy
of the average city dweller by eight months
in Europe, or up to two years in some areas.
Emissions from car exhausts
in urban areas; forest fires; ammonia emitted
by agriculture; coal-fired power plants
across the planet; and even volcano eruptions
affect the quality of the air we breathe.
In some cases, the pollutant sources are
located thousands of kilometres away from
where the damage occurs. We can also see
that many air pollutants contribute to climate
change and that climate change itself is
going to affect air quality in the future.
Signals 2013
Signals 2013 - Every
breath we take consists of short and accessible
articles covering a wide range of aspects
related to air quality. They include, among
others, the state of Europe’s air today,
main information sources, links between
climate change and air, the way different
pollutants can form in the atmosphere, and
a short overview of the European legislation
affecting air quality. The 2013 edition
is prepared in the context of the European
Year of Air, when EU policy makers are planning
to revisit air quality laws.
It was launched in Ireland
by Minister Phil Hogan T.D., at the Air
Science Policy Forum, an event organised
on 15th April by the Irish Environmental
Protection Agency and Department of the
Environment, Community and Local Government,
as part of the Irish Presidency of the European
Union.
Jacqueline McGlade;
Phil Hogan, Irish Minister for Environment;
Laura Burke, Director General of the Irish
EPA.
The publication is illustrated
with a remarkable series of photographs
taken by the public. These pictures were
submitted in a photostory competition ImaginAIR
organised by the EEA in 2012, which asked
participants to tell their story about air
in three pictures.
Signals will be available
in 26 European languages as e-book and PDF
in coming weeks. It will also be available
in print in some languages.
+ More
Can we save energy by
changing our behaviour?
Published : Apr 09,
2013 Last modified : Apr 12, 2013 11:24
AM - In 2010, European households consumed
almost 13 % more energy than two decades
ago and generated 25 % of energy-related
greenhouse gas emissions. This trend must
be reversed for the EU to reach its goal
of reducing primary energy consumption by
20 % by 2020. Today, the European Environment
Agency (EEA) publishes a report which investigates
what it takes to achieve energy savings
through changing consumer behaviour and
launches an online survey to know more about
society's views on the topic.
Energy efficiency
The EEA report, Achieving
energy efficiency through behaviour change:
what does it take? reviews recent studies
on behaviour change and energy use. It shows
that up to 20% of the energy we currently
consume can be saved through changing behaviour:
If energy efficiency
policies are designed to take into account
the fact that many factors influence consumer
behaviour such as technological development,
general economic situation, age, social
norms, belief systems, cultural traits and
market strategies. Therefore the focus should
be placed on consumption practices and how
they take hold in society involving a wide
range of actors;
If the ways of providing feedback on energy
consumption are improved. Without an adequate
frame of reference, consumers cannot know
whether their consumption is excessive or
not;
If we are mindful of the fact that energy
infrastructure plays an active role in determining
what people consider “normal” from the energy
consumption point of view. The cars we drive,
the buildings we live in, the way the energy
services are delivered to us, all influence
the way we think about energy;
If the current business model for energy
industries is changed to allow the consumer
to actively engage with the energy market.
For instance, more flexible energy tariffs
could help to capture the full benefits
of real-time information smart meters can
provide. But not all consumers will respond
in the same way to such changes.
A certain rebound effect
might occur when implementing energy efficiency
policies but it is unlikely to be sufficiently
high to outweigh the benefits of these policies.
In addition, energy efficiency policies
have multiple benefits in terms of employment,
health and competitiveness that should be
considered as well.
Survey: Understanding
households’ energy consumption
To complement the findings
from this report, the EEA would like to
know the opinions of energy users on proposed
measures to facilitate a reduction in energy
use by households. Do you think that more
information on how you use energy would
help you save energy? Would financial incentives
persuade you to change your energy consumption
habits?
Share your views with
us in this short survey. It takes five minutes
to complete!
The survey will be open
until 17 May. Please share it with others
and help us to better understand the factors
influencing your energy choices.
