Alarm: 450 million citizens at risk from air and noise pollution in European cities

2025-01-15 21:29:51Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

European cities are too noisy and air pollution remains a major environmental threat to health in the EU, warns the European Court of Auditors (ECA) in a report published today.

This is a worrying finding, according to the ECA, as the EU and its member states will be required to step up their efforts to comply with the stricter standards that will be implemented in the coming years.

Three-quarters of EU citizens live in urban areas and are therefore particularly exposed to air and noise pollution. According to the European Environment Agency, air pollution is responsible for at least 250,000 deaths per year in Europe. In addition, long-term exposure to excessive noise levels can have adverse health effects, such as sleep disturbances, anxiety, cognitive impairment and mental health problems.

The EU has set rules to protect its 450 million citizens from air and noise pollution. According to the European Commission, €46.4 billion has been allocated to achieve clean air targets for the period 2014-2020 and €185.5 billion for the period 2021-2027.

The ECA acknowledges that overall air quality has improved in the EU. However, it warns that air pollution – particularly nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations caused by cars and trucks – remains a major problem. In 2022, 10 Member States still exceeded the current EU limit for nitrogen dioxide (NO2). As EU air quality standards are set to be tightened soon, EU cities need to step up their efforts to meet the new EU standards, in order to be more in line with the recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

There is another aspect of urban pollution, noise pollution, that is often overlooked. The ECA concludes that assessing progress in reducing this type of pollution in the EU is practically impossible. Most Member States have gaps and delays in monitoring noise levels, making it impossible to track their progress. Available evidence shows that the target price of a 30% reduction in the number of people affected by transport noise, as set out in the Zero Pollution Action Plan by 2030, is unlikely to be met by 19% and, in the worst case, could increase by 3% by 2030.

The ECA also highlights the “questionable” effectiveness of meters. An illustrative example is green zones (“axes”), where pedestrians and cyclists have priority over cars. The EAC found that while they benefit local residents, they worsen air quality and noise levels on surrounding roads. Similarly, low-emission zones – which help reduce air and noise pollution – are an increasingly sensitive issue. For example, attempts to create such zones in Barcelona and Krakow have been challenged through legal channels, on the grounds that they introduce discrimination or restrictions on free movement, with the result that they were either implemented on a reduced scale or their development was postponed.

In 2021, as part of the European Green Deal, specific target values ??were set to reduce air pollution and harmful noise by 2030. The aim is not only to reduce the health effects of air pollution (premature deaths) by more than 55% and the threat to biodiversity in EU ecosystems by 25%, but also to reduce the number of people chronically suffering from traffic noise by 30%.

However, the specific target values ??are not binding on Member States.

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