NEC proposal “well justified”

By substantially reducing emissions of air pollutants, the proposed new National Emissions Ceilings (NEC) Directive would achieve considerable positive impacts on human health and the environment. The benefits of these health improvements far exceed the costs of additional abatement measures. Therefore, the proposal is well justified. However, compliance with the World Health Organization’s guidelines for PM_2.5 and ozone will be still out of reach.

These are the main conclusions of a study undertaken at the request of the European Parliament’s Environment Committee, to provide an analysis of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) air quality guideline values for health in the context of the revision of the NEC Directive.

The study notes that in 2030 there will still be several emission sources contributing to elevated levels of PM_2.5, and that not only primary PM emissions have to be abated, but also sources emitting the PM precursors SO₂, NOx, NH₃ and VOCs. As the share of combustion emissions from traffic will decline, the relative importance of emissions from agriculture and solid-fuel burning in the domestic sector will rise.

For ozone, the importance of hemispheric background levels is increasing and in order to further decrease the levels of this pollutant in Europe, measures within the EU and internationally will need to go hand in hand.

Current modelling results suggest that additional structural changes are required to achieve substantial further emission reductions, and the authors recommend that, before 2030, health impacts and interferences with other policies (in particular climate change, agriculture and energy) should be reassessed. The currently applied models have shortcomings in analysing the effects of lifestyle and behavioural changes such as a shift to vegetarian diets, which might open further options for emission reductions.

The study: EU Air Quality Policy and WHO Guideline Values for Health (October 2014). By Policy Department A: Economic and Scientific Policy, of the European Parliament’s Directorate General for Internal Policies. Available at: www.europarl.europa.eu/studies

In this issue

Low in ambition, late in timing

The NRMM proposal presented by the EU Commission shows a lack of ambition in both levels and timing.

Editorial: Ammonia emissions are cheap to reduce

A little more than a century ago Fritz Haber invented a way to make synthetic ammonia out of pure air. The process was soon scaled up for industrial use by Carl Bosch. The method known as the Haber-Bosch process revolutionised agriculture.

Air pollution cuts India’s crop yields by almost half

Ground-level ozone is damaging plants’ leaves and black carbon is reducing the amount of sunlight they receive. Both pollutants are also damaging human health.

UN warns against exceeding “Emissions Budget”

The gap between what countires have pledged to achieve and what the IPCC has estimated is needed in order to stay within the 2°C target is estimated at 10 GT of CO₂e by 2020.

Wind energy – so much potential

We are on track to phase-out and replace fossil fuels with renewable energy. After years of slow growth the wind is now shifting and investment is growing.

Methane and black carbon cuts won’t buy us time

Two new scientific studies say that the effectiveness of cutting a range of non-CO₂ gases such as methane and black carbon to limit global warming to 2°C has been strongly and consistently overestimated.

Many loopholes in testing system

European carmakers manipulate emissions testing, so cars on average show 38 per cent lower emissions than under actual driving conditions.

IPCC warns that delaying action implies higher costs

Two-thirds of the carbon budget needed to keep global temperature rise below 2°C has already been spent. To replace fossil fuels we will need to triple our use of zero- and low-carbon energy by 2025.

China: 670,000 smog-related deaths a year

Around 157 million people in China lived in areas where the annual PM_2.5 concentration in 2012 was higher than 100 μg/m³ – ten times the safety limit set by WHO.

Ocean acidification record-high

The rate of ocean acidification is the highest in millions of years. A CBD synthesis and new research show a grim picture in which organisms on the sea floor are particularly at risk.

Biogas from manure

Making biogas from manure results in reduced greenhouse gas emissions and the production of a renewable fuel. The technology is far from its full potential in Europe, but also has some serious limitations.

Air quality targets much cheaper than expected

The EU’s new climate and energy policy for 2030 opens the way for more ambitious clean air targets. The air pollution limits for 2030 proposed by the Commission last December could be achieved at €5.5bn less cost per year when the climate and energy package for 2030 ..

Action needed to cut emissions from domestic solid-fuel burning

Air pollutant emissions from residential heating with solid fuels (wood and coal) are estimated to cause 61,000 annual premature deaths in Europe.

Leave fossil gas in the ground

Gas is better than coal, but not good enough. Much of it has to be left in the ground, so its use has to be cut fast. This is actually happening in Europe. Gas use fell by 13 per cent between 2010 and 2013.

PM pollution requires EU-wide action

Particle pollution is not a purely local problem. Transboundary pollution transport is a major contributor to urban PM_2.5 levels, and reductions in both primary PM and secondary precursor emissions are needed to bring down PM_2.5 to safe levels.

447,000 premature deaths/year in EU due to bad air quality

Elevated levels of air pollutants, primarily fine particulate matter and ground-level ozone, are the top environmental cause of premature death in Europe.

Main menu

NEC proposal “well justified”

In this issue

Low in ambition, late in timing

Editorial: Ammonia emissions are cheap to reduce

Air pollution cuts India’s crop yields by almost half

UN warns against exceeding “Emissions Budget”

Wind energy – so much potential

Methane and black carbon cuts won’t buy us time

Many loopholes in testing system

IPCC warns that delaying action implies higher costs

China: 670,000 smog-related deaths a year

Ocean acidification record-high

Biogas from manure

Air quality targets much cheaper than expected

Action needed to cut emissions from domestic solid-fuel burning

Leave fossil gas in the ground

PM pollution requires EU-wide action

447,000 premature deaths/year in EU due to bad air quality

Publications

Food for Thought

Northern forests, climate change and the UNFCCC

EU climate targets aligned with the Paris agreement’s 1.5°C objective

Baltic Sea Offshore Wind Collaborative-Learning project

Air pollution in Europe and children’s health

Climate Change: A Himalayan Odessey

No further discussion needed. The agreed global goal is to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C

Fossil-free electricity 2021

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