Air Quality Archives

Air pollution still causes more than 1,200 premature deaths a year in under 18's across Europe and increases the risk of chronic disease later in life, the EU environmental agency said Monday (24 April).

The European Parliament has adopted the largest and most ambitious climate policy ever: the reform of the EU’s carbon market. And this was mostly thanks to a centre-right lawmaker who did what was necessary.

Volkswagen called on Thursday (13 April) for the implementation of new EU emissions standards to be pushed to at least autumn of 2026, slightly over a year later than planned, with the aim of all new cars meeting the standards by autumn 2027.

The CEO of Italian truck and bus maker Iveco has condemned as "plain stupid" the Euro 7 standards which tighten vehicle emission limits for pollutants including nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide in the European Union from 2025.

Bulgarian politicians' gambling with the fate of people in coal regions and those affected by toxic air and the climate crisis is immoral and unacceptable, and a workable alternative for an energy future is needed, Apostol Dyankov writes.

Portugal performs well in areas such as renewable energy, greenhouse gas emissions and air quality but needs to improve in waste recovery and the circular economy, according to a report released on Tuesday.

The Czech government organised a meeting of countries which could jointly fight against the new car emission standards, which according to the country, is unreasonably strict and poses a danger to the European car industry, Hospodářské noviny reported.

Although emissions of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the European Union and the United Kingdom are on the decline, they do not meet guidelines issued by the World Health Organisation, a study shows. 

Czechia opposes the European Commission’s Euro 7 emission standard, which intends to reduce nitrogen oxides and particulate matter emissions that are emitted by vehicles, said Transport Minister Martin Kupka, who wants to discuss the issue with Commissioner Thierry Breton on Friday.

Italian citizens are constantly exposed to air pollution levels that far exceed the established limits, posing serious health threats, according to a study published on Monday (30 January) by Legambiente, Italy's biggest environmental organisation. 

As winter draws in and snow settles on the peaks and hills of Kosovo, the permeating odour from burning firewood and pellets becomes an inescapable part of reality. But the problem goes far beyond washing that reeks of smoke, as the fumes cause health problems for citizens and using more wood drives deforestation.

For the energy industry, 2022 will be remembered as the year Russia's invasion of Ukraine accelerated a global energy crisis.

After Russian gas was cut off over a payment dispute in April, the Polish government dropped a two-year-old ban on residents burning lignite and poor-quality hard coal, which cannot be filtered effectively in home stoves.

Air pollution is extremely damaging to human health. However, the air pollution limits suggested in the new proposal to revise the Ambient Air Quality Directives fail to live up to WHO recommendations.

The EU detailed plans Wednesday (26 October) to bring air and water pollution down to zero by 2050, proposing tougher rules and compensation for those affected by poor air quality.

A draft law to curtail pollution from cars and vans has drawn a storm of criticism from environmental campaigners, who have accused the European Commission of watering down the proposal to please the automotive industry.

A group of German citizens are suing their government over a lack of progress in meeting World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations on air quality levels presented in 2021.

In Poland's late summer heat, dozens of cars and trucks line up at a coal mine, as householders fearful of winter shortages wait for days and nights to stock up on heating fuel in queues reminiscent of communist times.

The debate on climate change’s impact on health should be broadened, according to socialist MEP Sara Cerdas, as health costs for society if we do not act will be unimaginable. Sara Cerdas is a socialist MEP member of the European Parliament's …

Air pollution is known for worsening our health, yet many cities continue to fail in meeting set targets. This will create more and worsened health conditions, adding even more pressure on our challenged health systems, stakeholders say.

A French centre on air pollution recently published its latest estimates on France's greenhouse gas emissions, and the Ministry of Energy Transition is pleased with it: -9.6% between 2017 and 2021.

The objectives set by the Climate Air Energy Plan for Paris seek to meet the European and WHO standards on air pollution. In the French capital city, "this implies the phasing out of diesel vehicles in 2024 and the phasing out of gasoline-powered vehicles in 2030," Dan Lert said.

French carmaker Renault is shifting part of its business model away from selling cars towards offering individual journeys without ownership, a move company chiefs say reflects evolving customer demand.

European cities are putting measures in place to reduce toxic emissions from vehicles in a bid to improve air quality and save lives.