Under the agreement reached, stricter standards will be set until 2030 to reduce the amount of polluting particles and pave the way for the already assumed challenge of eliminating pollution by mid-century.
The EU has reached an agreement on this tighten limits for air pollution. The intention of the legislators (European Commission, Council of the EU and European Parliament) is to establish some of them stricter rules until 2030 to reduce pollutant particles and pave the way for the already accepted challenge of becoming a “no pollution”.
From that date, they will be reviewed at least every five years with the aim of eliminating contamination by 2050. However, regulations lag behind WHO recommendations. The agreement will now have to be ratified by the governments of the 27 in the EU Council by a majority and by the European Parliament.
The new rules The maximum limits will be tightened and target values compared to current ones, for various pollutants, including particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10), NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) and SO2 (sulfur dioxide). For the two pollutants with the greatest documented impact on human health, PM2.5 and NO2, annual limit values will be reduced by more than half, from 25 µg/m³ to 10 µg/m³ and from 40 µg/m³ to According to the European Parliament in a statement, 20 µg/m³ respectively.
However, the regulations leave the door open the condition Compliance with air quality standards can be extended for ten years if Member States so request and certain conditions are met, including that the necessary reductions can only be achieved by replacing a significant part of existing domestic heating systems that cause excessive pollution.
The agreement also provides for an increase in the number of urban air quality sampling points and the harmonization of indices that are currently fragmented across the EU.
Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
