People in Uppsala and Umeå, Sweden, and Faro, Portugal, can enjoy some of the cleanest urban air in Europe, according to the latest European Urban Air Quality Watch published today by the European Environment Agency (EEA). Three quarters of Europeans live in urban areas, and most of them are exposed to unsafe levels of air pollution. Improving air quality to levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) could significantly reduce premature deaths from air pollution.
European City Air Quality Observer in the European Economic Area ranked 375 cities from cleanest to most polluted based on their average levels Fine particles (afternoon2.5). The data were collected from more than 500 monitoring stations in urban areas of EEA Member States over the past two calendar years (2022 and 2023).
The audience only sees 13 European cities The average concentration of fine particulate matter is lower than the World Health Organization (WHO) limit of 5 μg/m3 of air.3), which includes the four northern capitals: Reykjavik, Tallinn, Stockholm and Helsinki.
this European Green DealThe EU Zero Pollution Action Plan sets a 2030 target of reducing premature deaths from fine particulate matter by at least 55% compared to 2005, with a long-term goal of achieving no significant health impact by 2050. Earlier this year, EU institutions agreed on a proposal to update the Ambient Air Quality Directive, which aims to bring EU air quality standards closer to WHO guidance levels and help achieve the goals of the Zero Pollution Action Plan.
The European Urban Air Quality Observatory provides a typical Air quality in European cities over the past two yearss. The audience is concerned about the long-term concentration of PM2.5The EEA will publish an analysis of the impacts of air pollution on ecosystems and human health later this year. This will include estimates of deaths and diseases attributable to poor air quality.