Emissions of major pollutants into the air by extractive industries (Indicator)

Resource extraction lies at the start of the current linear resource use model. Within the production and consumption chain, the extraction phase typically significantly contributes to a product's environmental footprint across its entire life cycle. This process generates pollution that adversely affects air quality, soil and water bodies.

The nature of the pollution and the ultimate environmental impact strongly depend on the materials extracted. For instance, extracting precious metals can be more environmentally detrimental than other materials. Additionally, the environmental impacts are influenced by the methods of extraction employed, such as open-pit mining, underground mining or offshore drilling, as well as the technologies used.

To achieve ‘levels of air quality that do not give rise to significant negative impacts on and risks to human health and the environment’, the NEC Directive establishes emission reduction commitments for sulphur dioxides (SO_X), nitrogen oxides (NOx), non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC), ammonia (NH₃) and fine particulate matter (PM_2.5).

Of these air pollutants, NMVOC — mostly manifesting as fugitive emissions from coal, oil and natural gas extraction — are the most emitted by mass from the extractive industries. The other key pollutants, SO₂ and NO_X, primarily arise from venting and flaring. Meanwhile, fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) mostly originates from quarrying and mining minerals other than coal.

Data show that air pollution from the extractive sector has significantly decreased over recent decades. The decrease was slower over the last 10 years. The overall reduction most likely resulted from more effective control of pollution in the sector: emissions decreased despite resource extraction remaining stable or even increasing in the case of metal production. For oil and gas, the reduction may also result from falling fossil fuel extraction. However, increasing trend were also observed for NOx, SOx and PM_2.5 between 2020 and 2022.

To secure the supply of materials that are strategic for the EU’s green and digital transition, defence and space, the Critical Raw Materials Act establishes that 10% of the extraction and 40% of the processing of these materials need to take place within the EU (EU, 2023). This is expected to boost domestic extraction, which is expected to result in increasing associated pollution within the EU. However, this could also translate into environmental benefits globally, if the environmental performance of mining operations in the EU is better than those of the current material suppliers (Specker et al., 2024).

Please consult the relevant indicators and signals below for a more comprehensive overview on the topic.