Air pollution — emissions of selected pollutants

Setting the scene

Almost all economic and societal activities result in emissions of air pollutants, the effects of which result in real losses for the European economy, the productivity of its workforce, and the health of its natural systems. Europe's air quality has improved considerably in the last 60 years but has not yet attained the air quality foreseen in legislation or recommended by the World Health Organization. The effects of poor air quality on public health have been felt most strongly in urban areas, with levels of particulate matter (PM) of particular concern;^[1] and in ecosystems leading to biodiversity loss.^[2]

The SOER 2015 briefing on air pollution provides an overview of the status, trends and prospects relating to air quality. This SOER 2015 cross-country comparison focuses on emissions of a group of four pollutants that contribute to acidification, eutrophication, the formation of ground-level (tropospheric) ozone and PM in the atmosphere, namely nitrogen oxides (NO_X), sulphur oxides (SO_X), ammonia (NH₃) and non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC).

Policies, targets and progress

Annual emission limits, known as emission ceilings, for NO_X, SO_X, NH₃ and NMVOC are set by the Gothenburg Protocol to the UNECE/LRTAP, and the NEC Directive with the aim of protecting the environment and human health. The 2012 revision to the Gothenburg Protocol extended existing emission ceilings for 2010 until 2020 obliging countries to maintain emission levels below their 2010 ceilings, or to further reduce emissions if they have not yet met these ceilings.

Emissions of NO_X, SO_X, NH₃ and NMVOC have decreased over the last two decades. Emissions of NO_X have decreased by 44%, SO_X by 74%, NH₃ by 25% and NMVOC by 57% since 1990 within the EEA-33. In 2013, eleven countries reported emissions above their ceilings for NO_X (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Slovenia and Spain), five for NH₃ (Denmark, Finland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Spain) and one for NMVOC (Luxembourg).^[3][1] All countries met their emission ceilings for SO_X (see Table 1).

In 2012, 14 countries breached at least one emission ceiling, compared to 13 in 2011 and 15 in 2010. Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norway and Spain exceeded two ceilings in 2012. Several countries have persistent problems meeting their emission limits with Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norway and Spain breaching NO_X ceilings for three consecutive years. Denmark, Finland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Spain have breached NH₃ ceilings for three consecutive years.

The EEA indicator 'emissions of main air pollutants'^[7] provides further details on these four individual pollutants. The assessment of change in emissions since 1990 and comparison to NEC Directive and Gothenberg Protocol targets for NO_X is shown in Figure 1 as this is the pollutant with the greatest number of exceedances of emission ceilings by countries.

The majority of EEA-33 countries have reported lower emissions of NO_X in 2012 compared to 1990. The exceptions to this are Turkey (whose emissions were nearly 2 times higher in 2012 than 1990), Cyprus (34% higher), Luxembourg (18%) and Malta (15%).

Of the EU Member States, Germany and France reported the highest exceedances of the NO_X ceilings in absolute terms in 2012, by 222 and 173 kilotonnes respectively. In percentage terms, Luxembourg (55%) and Austria (37%)  continued to exceed their NO_X emission ceilings the most in 2012.^[6]

Although there has been a large reduction in NO_X emissions from the road transport sector, it remains one of the main contributory factors behind the large number of NO_X exceedances. This is in part because the sector has grown more than expected and partly because of the increased penetration of diesel vehicles. These have higher NO_X emissions than petrol-fuelled vehicles and emission standards set in EU legislation have not always delivered the anticipated level of reductions.^[4]

Prospects

Despite improvements in recent decades there are still major challenges in reducing  air pollution and direct and indirect impacts on human health, the economy and environment. Road transport, industry, power plants, households and agricultural activities continue to emit significant amounts of air pollution.

Thirty EEA member countries have 2020 emission reduction targets set under the 2012 revised Gothenburg Protocol. For all four pollutants, the majority of countries are making progress towards meeting these targets.^[3] For SO_X, fifteen countries have already met the proposed 2020 targets according to emissions data for 2012. For NH_3, sixteen countries met their ceilings and nine countries have met celings for NMVOC. Only one country (Portugal) has already met its NO_X target in 2012, while six countries have met new 2020 targets for primary PM_2.5 emissions.^[7]

Management of air pollution is challenging because of its cross-border nature, the need to address the many sources of emissions, and the different spatial scales of the resulting pressures and impacts. European air policy has undergone substantial review and in 2013 the proposed Clean Air Policy Package^[8] included a measure to strengthen national emission reduction commitments by revising the NEC Directive to set emission ceilings for 2020 and 2030 for the four pollutants (NO_X, NMVOC, SO_X and NH₃), as well as two additional pollutants, fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) emitted directly into the air and methane. Proposed actions also include focusing on air quality in cities, national and local actions. The implementation of measures to improve air quality and ameliorate impacts often takes place at regional and local level. Therefore sharing of information and experiences amongst countries is an important factor in improving knowledge and providing tools for air quality planning.

Figure 1: Change in emissions of NO_X (nitrogen oxides) in 33 European countries (1990 to 2012) and comparison with the 2010 NEC Directive and Gothenburg Protocol targets