WHO levels exceeded for 94 per cent of Spaniards

According to a new report from Spanish group Ecologistas en Acción based on figures collected in 2011, 94 per cent of Spaniards are breathing air that exceeds the safe pollution levels recommended by the World Health Organization and 22 per cent of the population – 10.4 million people – are breathing air that exceeds European legal pollution limits.

Madrid has the worst record for air pollution levels, and one of the blackest spots is the area around its central Retiro Park. Other cities with areas that consistently show high levels of air pollution are Barcelona, Granada, Palma de Mallorca and Bilbao, according to the Environment Ministry.

Ecologistas en Acción say that although there has been a slight reduction in air pollution levels since 2008, this is attributed more to the depression that has hit the Spanish economy, which has prompted a reduction in car use, rather than any measures taken by the government or its agencies.

Source: AECC Newsletter, September-October 2012.
The report: http://www.ecologistasenaccion.org/article24171.html

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Main menu

WHO levels exceeded for 94 per cent of Spaniards

In this issue

The costs of climate change

Editorial: Difficult is not a strong enough reason to passively accept

Tighter standards for PM proposed in the US

Is air quality in Europe getting any better?

Climate change evident in Europe

Great potential for changing behaviour

EU greenhouse gases fell by 2.5 per cent in 2011

The Climate Bonus

Air pollution burden still too high, despite improvements

Cleaner fuels will dominate in 2020

Increased Arctic shipping threatens the environment

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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Air pollution

Climate Change

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