Article by Annalisa Girardi – Journalist, Fanpage.it
Air pollution is the main environmental health risk in Europe. The European Environment Agency recently reiterated this , noting that excessive exposure—above the limits set by the World Health Organization—to fine particulate matter and excessively high levels of ozone and nitrogen dioxide have caused tens of thousands of premature deaths in recent years. These pollutants are linked to asthma and other respiratory diseases, as well as heart disease and stroke.
It’s not just a health issue. Air pollution, the European Environment Agency says, can also have a serious economic impact, given the increased costs of healthcare, as well as the consequences for the labor market.
The report published this year by the Agency highlights how things are improving in terms of air quality, with several monitoring stations recording levels in line with the parameters set by the European Union. Despite this, in the vast majority of Europe we are still far from reaching the targets, and although PM10 and PM2 levels have indeed decreased over the last ten years, air pollution continues to have a significant impact on our health.
The European Union has set new standards to be achieved by 2030: to do so, further action is clearly needed to effectively combat air pollution. These polluting particles in the air are typically associated with fossil fuels: for this reason, the European Union is encouraging the use of electric mobility. It is also promoting the use of public transport in cities, where some pollutant levels are often very high due to traffic. The Air Quality Directive, a key step towards reducing air pollution, came into force in December 2024, which aims to achieve significant targets by January 1, 2030. In short, the direction is now set. But there is still a long way to go.