Finland: 1,600 early deaths every year due to air pollution

May 2016

Air pollution is estimated to cause some 1,600 premature deaths in Finland every year, says a new report from the Environment Ministry. Deaths caused by air pollution shorten the lifetime of the individuals by an average of 16 years. Taken across the entire population, this means that the life expectancy of Finns is shortened by an average of over five months due to air pollution.

Most of the health damage is caused by tiny particles (PM) or by nitrogen oxides. About half of the PM concentrations in Finland emanates from emissions from outside the country, while the other half comes from domestic emission sources, primarily from small-scale wood burning (46%), other energy production (16%), traffic exhaust gases (12%), street dust (10%), peat production (9%), and industry (7%).

Source: Environment ministry press release, 13 April 2016

http://www.ym.fi/en-US/Latest_news/Press_releases/New_report_over_1000_p...(38896)

Ecosystems more sensitive than previously thought

Three-quarters of EU ecosystems are currently exposed to more nitrogen deposition than they can cope with and nearly one-tenth is receiving too much acid fallout.

Sea levels could rise 1.3 to 2 metres by 2100

New studies have been published concluding that sea levels could rise far more rapidly than expected in coming decades.

Land is a crucially important sector to keep global warming below 1.5°C.

A quarter of human induced greenhouse gas emissions comes from agriculture, forestry and other land use.

Tougher air pollution targets needed

Revision of EU’s key legal instrument for improving air quality – the NEC directive – is currently the subject of intense negotiations.

Analysis of the implementation on the Paris Agreement

An analysis on how to translate the Paris agreement into action in a German context.

Stricter air pollution rules for machinery agreed

Emissions from non-road mobile machinery are a significant source of air pollution, especially nitrogen oxides and particulate matter.

Huge health impacts from Balkan coal plants

New study quantifies the public health costs of polluted air from existing coal-fired power plants in the Western Balkans at up to €8.5 billion per year.

More than half US population exposed to dangerous air pollution

A total of 166 million Americans live in areas that have unhealthy levels of either ozone or particle pollution, according to the American Lung Association.

Save lives and costs by cutting GHG

The greenhouse emission cuts that the United States of America agreed to at the Paris climate conference may come with a significant public health benefit.

Big benefits of cleaner marine fuel

Air quality in coastal areas improved significantly in 2015 after stricter sulphur limits for marine fuels were introduced in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.

Baltic Sea and North Sea move towards becoming NOx Emission Control Areas

Significant health and environmental benefits will result from action to cut NOx emissions from international shipping.

Livestock holds major potential for GHG reductions

Policies targeting the livestock sector could potentially reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 1.8 gigatons of CO2 equivalents per year.

Sweden and the climate change performance index

Sweden always scores well for climate policy on the annual scorecard of Climate Action Network Europe and Germanwatch. But for some years this has been more due to luck than to real progress.

Health and climate co-benefits of dietary change

Widespread adoption of a vegetarian diet would significantly cut food-related emissions of greenhouse gases and make people healthier too.

Germany sets its sights on coal phase-out

Coal must be phased-out for Germany to meet its ambitious climate protection goals.

Carbon dioxide levels in atmosphere spike

The annual growth rate of atmospheric carbon dioxide measured at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii jumped by 3.05 parts per million during 2015, the largest year-to-year increase in 56 years of research, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Editorial May 2016

"We need clean air"

Methane levels increase rapidly in the Arctic

“We see an alarming development,” says senior researcher Cathrine Lund Myhre at the Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU). 

Germany to exit coal power “well before 2050”

Reuters reported at the beginning of May 2016 that “according to a draft environment ministry document”, coal-fired power production in Germany.

Visit the Death Ticker

The European Environmental Bureau (EEB) has published an online Death Ticker.

Finland: 1,600 early deaths every year due to air pollution

Air pollution is estimated to cause some 1,600 premature deaths in Finland every year, says a new report from the Environment Ministry.

UK air pollution is a public health emergency

According to a cross-party committee of Members of Parliament, air pollution in the UK is a “public health emergency” – the government’s own data shows air pollution causes 40,000–50,000 early deaths a year. 

IPCC starts work on the 1.5ºC target and 6th Assessment Report

The Paris Agreement of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change says that global temperature increase should be limited to 1.5ºC compared with pre-industrial times. 

Even “most efficient” coal puts global climate goals out of reach – report

WWF has published a new report that shows that even the most efficient coal plants are not compatible with the global climate change goal.

Babies harmed by air pollution

Air pollution in the United States may be causing thousands of premature births each year and costing the nation billions of dollars.

Fines of up to €12.7 million for breaching sulphur standard

Ireland has penalty systems in place that could see bunker suppliers and ships that are in breach of the MARPOL Annex VI sulphur regulations face fines of up to € 12.7 million.

Ship fuel non-compliance around 5% in 2015

Forty-three incidents of ships using non-compliant fuel were detected in EU sulphur emission control areas (SECAs) in 2015

Football players' performance affected by air pollution

 A group of health economists has found that football players’ performance was impeded at levels of particulate matter (PM) well below the EU air quality limits. 

Shipper fined US$ 130,000 for violating sulphur regulation

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has fined the China Navigation Co. Pte. Ltd. US$ 129,500