Funchal can probably thank its location, for receiving the bronze medal in the European Championships in low particle levels. Photo:© anitasstudio / Shutterstock.com

Only 11 European cities have clean air

In July, the European Environment Agency (EEA) published its updated European City Air Quality Viewer report, which covers over 340 cities. Cities are ranked from the cleanest to the most polluted based on average levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) obtained from monitoring data over the past two calendar years. For air quality to be considered as good it needs to be below the World Health Organization’s (WHO) health-based guideline for long-term exposure to PM2.5 of 5 micrograms per cubic metre of air (5 μg/m3 ). From 2020 to 2021, air quality was good in only 11 cities. The guideline was exceeded in 97% of the 343 European cities included inthe viewer. The European Union’s (EU) annual limit value for PM2.5 is way higher than the WHO guideline, at 25 µg/ m3 , and was only exceeded in the three most polluted cities, including Nowy Sacz, Poland, and Cremona and Padova in Italy. Interested in your city?

The Air Quality Viewer is available to download at eea.europa.eu/highlights/air-pollution-which-europeancities?utm_ source=EEASubscriptions

Image: © Lars-Erik Håkansson

EU must step up energy shift

Paris Agreement compatible scenarios need the EU to do much more to reduce emissions and increase renewables and energy savings.

Photo: © Alexandros Michailidis /Suttertstock.com

Editorial: The EU can and must take stronger climate action

With the sustained heat, drought and forest fires that are wreaking havoc across Europe, one would think European countries would be incentivised to increase action to tackle climate change.

Keys to meet the 1.5°C target

Climate Action Network International (CAN) has issued several statements and articles in 2022 outlining how the UN should act on science policy in reviewing the long-term goal of the Climate Convention at COP 27.

Photo: © StunningArt / Shutterstock.com
Parliament backed a mandatory target to reduce the EU’s energy consumption by 14.5% by 2030. Photo: © Aliya Fahrtdinova / Shutterstock.com

European Union prepares for winter

In September, the European Parliament voted on several proposals to address the energy crisis. Meanwhile the EU Commission proposed a new law to manage energy prices. 

100% renewables has become scientific mainstream. Photo: © onot / Shutterstock.com

Scientists agree: 100% renewable energy is possible

An increasing number of research studies show that an energy system based solely on renewable energy sources is possible by or before 2050.

Corporate leadership? Few businesses pledge to reduce their flying

Whilst corporate leaders pledge to reduce the climate impact of their businesses, too few go the extra mile and tackle the problem of air travel emissions.

Many companies find it difficult to let go of their favourite mode of transport. Photo: © B-D-S Piotr Marcinski / Shutterstock.com
Above: Schematic view of the energy island. Below: Facility with Power-to-X technology.

Denmark aims to build world’s first energy island

An artificial island, with wind power and installations to convert excess energy into fuel, is planned in the North Sea. When completed it may provide electricity for 10 million households. 

Romania is one of the member states that needs to reduce emissions the most to reach its PM2.5 target by 2030. Photo: © Pazargic Liviu / Shutterstock.com

Member states are struggling to meet NEC directive

In 2020, less than half of member states met all their national emission reduction commitments. Only two of them are already in line with their 2030 commitments. 

Improve communication on air quality research

More than half of Europeans do not feel well informed about their local air quality, according to a 2019 EU Commission survey.

Evidence to a policymaker should be short and concise. Photo: © Unknown man / Shutterstock.com
Photo: © VRVIRUS / Shutterstock.com

Condensable aerosols contribute to inconsistent reporting

Condensable primary organic aerosol emissions, described from here on as condensables, are organic compounds that occur in the gas (vapour) phase at the chimney stack, but as the stack air is cooled and diluted, they can undergo both condensation and evaporation processes.

Wind technologies for cleaner shipping

A large ongoing EU project demonstrates that the expansion of direct wind propulsion technologies for ships will be an important and impactful step towards cleaner shipping.

Towards a Latin American agenda for a just socio-ecological transition

Climate Action Network Latin America hosted a series of regional dialogues during 2021 on how to jointly advance the climate, biodiversity and human rights agendas.

Indigenous Latin Americans at a climate demonstration. Photo:© Alexandros Michailidis / Shutterstock.com
Photo: © Eamon Mc / Shutterstock.com

Ireland intends to cut farm emissions by a quarter by 2030

Greenhouse gas emissions from Ireland’s farming sector must drop by 25 per cent by 2030.

Photo: © SomprasongWittayanupakorn / Shutterstock.com

Navigating nitrogen

“The less fossil-fuel-based fertilisers we use, the less dependent we are on fossil fuel imports, ”Ursula von der Leyen stated in a response to one of the group leaders’ interventions just after her “State of the European Union” speech in the European Parliament on 14 September 2022.1

How iron and steel emissions can be cut

The huge emissions from the steel industry can be virtually eliminated by using hydrogen from green power, or from other electric processes. CCS is not used, not needed and not likely to be a mitigation option.

Photo SSAB
The wear and tear on roads and tyres can be 20 per cent higher for electricified models. Photo: © emirhankaramuk / Shutterstock.com

Particles from electric vehicles

Electric cars cause more wear and tear on road and tyres due to the extra weight of the battery. Nevertheless they have lower net particle emissions than normal cars.

Photo: © Rich Carey / Shutterstock.com

Climate change is everywhere – so is marine litter

As heavy rains and storms become more frequent more litter will be transported to the sea. Marine litter is projected to triple by 2040.

Failure or success of air pollution policies in Delhi?

The severe air pollution events in Delhi due to sharp economic and population growth have been widely reported.

Delhi has introduced many measures to limit emissions, but it is still difficult to say anything certain about the effect they have had. Photo:© Photo Delhi / Shutterstock.com
Demolished building in Grenada. Photo: © Valery Shanin / Shutterstock.com

Call for loss and damage and climate finance

The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) is urging support for the adoption of loss and damage response finance at COP27 in Egypt in November 2022.

PM2.5 levels in Bejing have decreased by 36% in just five years. Photo: © Tom Wang / Shutterstock.com

Cleaner air in Beijing and London

It is no longer news that urban residents around the world are breathing unhealthy levels of pollution.

Photo: © VRVIRUS / StockStudio Aerials.com

Electryfing vehicle fleet could save 45 billion euro in external costs

What would happen to pollutants and their external costs if we replaced diesel-fuelled vehicles with a different technology? 

Image: © Aluna1 / Shutterstock.com

“Cost of clean shipping is negligible” says case study

Transport & Environment has assessed “…the likely cost increase in seaborne transport in a hypothetical fully decarbonized scenario”. More specifically, the assessment investigated a substantial ...

Lagos has committed to reducing traffic congestion by expanding the rapid transit bus network and piloting a low-emission bus system. Photo: © Resedenz / Shutterstock.com

Ten African mayors sign a clean air declaration

C40 is a network of mayors from nearly 100 world-leading cities that has promised to deliver the action needed to reduce the climate crisis.

Prohibited from 2024. Photo: © Dutchmen Photography / Shutterstock.com

Haarlem bans meat ads

The Dutch city of Haarlem has decided to ban adverts for meat in public spaces by 2024.

Aliens helping out with the EU methane pledge. Image: © ledokolua / Shutterstock.com

EU must cut livestock numbers to deliver on methane

The European Union is unlikely to deliver on its pledge to cut methane emissions by 30% by 2030 without cutting livestock numbers, reveals a report released in June. 

Funchal can probably thank its location, for receiving the bronze medal in the European Championships in low particle levels. Photo:© anitasstudio / Shutterstock.com

Only 11 European cities have clean air

In July, the European Environment Agency (EEA) published its updated European City Air Quality Viewer report, which covers over 340 cities.

Photo: © SJohn Gomez / Shutterstock.com

Zero emission zones the next step for clean cities

A Clean Cities Campaign analysis of the most comprehensive database..

Figure . Global satellite-based (panel A) and inventory (panel B) annual NH3 emissions derived over the period of 2013-2020. The four insets in each subplot show enlarged and aggregated totals at county/provincial level for four hot-spot regions around the globe.

Global ammonia emissions underestimated

Satellite observations show that global ammonia emissions are higher than reported by bottom-up inventories.

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Atmospheric CO2 and sea levels hit record highs in 2021

AFP news agency reports that the Earth’s concentration of greenhouse gases and sea levels hit new highs in 2021, according to a US government report published in summer 2022, showing that climate change keeps surging ahead despite efforts to curb emissions. 

Finland and Ireland need to sharpen up their air quality legislation. Photo: © Sergey Nivens / Shutterstock.com

July infringements of EU air quality law

The European Commission recently announced decisions it had made in its July Infringements package.

Photo: Smaller vessels should not be exempted. Photo: © m.afiqsyahmi / Shutterstock.com

Loopholes in EU shipping proposal criticised

The European Commission has proposed to include the shipping industry in the European Union’s Emissions Trading System (ETS).

NOx levels have been reduced by 20%. Photo: © Lorna Roberts / Shutterstock.com

Low and ultra-low emission zones proven to be effective

In spring 2019, London implemented an ultra-low emission zone (uLEZ) to tackle road transport air pollution.

Image: © NorSob / Shutterstock.com

Efficiency standards for Indian buses and trucks

In July, the Indian government proposed fuel consumption standards for heavy-duty vehicles in a draft notification issued by the road transport ministry.

When you know you need to update your NDC target, but cannot pull yourself together. Photo: © voronaman / Shutterstock.com

Climate action has stalled

Climate Action Tracker said in a mid-year report for 2022 that climate action has stalled.