Europe’s air quality status 2024
Air quality has improved considerably in Europe over the past decades, but polluted air is still the biggest environmental health hazard in Europe and globally. Austria is one of twelve countries in which the criteria for the daily average fine particulate matter (PM10) limit value was met in 2023.
According to the European Environment Agency’s (EEA) analysis on air quality data for 2022 and 2023, published on June 6, Europe’s air quality continues improving but, in many areas, especially in cities, pollution remains above recommended safe levels. In 2022, only 2% of European monitoring stations registered fine particulate concentrations above the EU annual limit value. However, almost all Europeans (96%) who live in cities are exposed to concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) that are above the WHO guideline level).
Air pollution is Europe’s largest environmental health risk, causing cardiovascular and respiratory diseases that impact health, reduce quality of life and cause preventable deaths. Fine particulate matter is the air pollutant that causes the greatest negative health impacts across Europe. These particles come mainly from solid fuels used for domestic heating, industrial activities and road transport.
The EEA briefing also shows that there are significant differences between countries and regions, with areas in central and eastern Europe showing higher levels of pollution. In 2022, only Iceland had fine particulate concentrations that were lower than the WHO guideline level. These are exceeded over large areas in Austria; however, the limit value criteria for the daily average PM10 value has been met since 2019. Concentrations higher than the EU limit value were measured in three EU Member States: Croatia, Italy, and Poland.
Co-legislators agreed to more ambitious EU air quality standards in February 2024. However, they are still less strict for all pollutants than what the WHO outlines in their air quality guideline levels.
In 2022, despite ongoing reductions in emissions, most of the EU’s urban population continued to be exposed to levels of key air pollutants that are damaging to health (see Figure 1). In particular, almost all of the urban population was exposed to concentrations of PM2.5 above the 2021 WHO annual guideline level of 5µg/m3 and to concentrations of ozone (O3) above the short-term guideline level of 100µg/m3.
Links:
EEA status report air quality Europe
EEA briefing Europe’s air quality status 2024
Air topic at Environment Agency Austria (German)
