Air quality in Europe has improved

The introduction, in the past, of some European policies to limit emissions of the principal atmospheric pollutants, in fact, has brought good results and has significantly improved air quality. This is what emerges from a study published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) that analyzes and quantifies the effects that specific political measures, carried out in the transport sector and industrial combustion, have had on the concentration of atmospheric pollutants and on air quality in Europe. Transports and industry are two sectors that alone, account for 50-66% of total emissions of particulate matter, acidifying pollutants and ozone-forming gases. With regard to road transport, notwithstanding the increased use of fuel from 1990 to 2005 (+ 26%) significant decreases in the emissions were obtained due to the introduction of the European Standards from the start of the 90s. In particular, it has been noted that carbon monoxide (CO) and non-methane volatile organic compounds decreased constantly during the examined period. Interesting data were also obtained for nitrogen oxides (NOx) and fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) that decreased 40% and 60% respectively. With regard to the industrial combustion sector, (including the energy sector and the manufacturing industries) a marginal change was recorded in the use of fuel during the examined period, however a decrease was obtained in the overall amount of NOx and SOx. A significant decrease was recorded in the fine particulate emissions, recorded in the principal industrialized areas such as Germany, Italy (the Po valley), the Netherlands and Poland. With regard to the acidifying pollutants, the policies also led to a decrease, in these areas, in the concentration of sulphur dioxide (SO2)