1. An Overview of Europe’s Air Quality and Air Pollutant Emissions
Stakeholder Expert Group on the Review of the EU Air Policy
Meeting January 2012, Brussels
An Overview of Europe’s Air Quality and Air Pollutant Emissions
Valentin Foltescu, European Environment Agency

2. An Overview of Europe’s Air Quality and Air Pollutant Emissions
Spatial coverage: 38 countries
Two decades of measured data
Data officially made available by countries
Evaluation of the status and trends in air quality, based on anthropogenic emissions and ambient measured concentrations
The report gives a comprehensive breakdown pollutant by pollutant.
It has a pan-European coverage and is based on the two decades of measured data officially reported and exchanged by countries.

3. Air quality in Europe — 2011 report
Our report reviews progress towards meeting the requirements of the two EU air quality directives in force and the air quality guidelines set by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Current pollution levels clearly impact on large parts of the urban population.
Particulalry evident is the urban population exposure estimates based on the WHO air quality guidelines, which in some cases are more stringent than corresponding standards in the EU legislation.
We will return to this table later.

4. Particulate matter, PM10 and PM2.5
Needless to say that particulate matter and ozone are the key pollutants. So, let’s start with them!
The maps show the exceedances of the limit values for PM10 and PM2.5.
For both PM10 and PM2.5 a significant number of stations are in exceedance of the thresholds set by EU legislation. This is seen in the frequency distribution of the observations versus concentration on the x axis. We call this type of graph distance-to-target graph.
The small reductions observed in ambient PM concentrations reflect partly the declining emissions of primary PM and PM precursors.
Despite emission reductions and slowly diminished concentrations, the EU urban population exposed to ambient air concentrations of PM10 in excess of EU air quality limit values does not show a discernable downward trend.

5. Emissions of acidifying pollutants

6. Changes in emissions of acidifying pollutants (1990-2009)
NH3
NOx
SOx

7. Contributions to total changes in emissions of acidifying pollutants
NH3
NOx
SOx

8. Changes in emissions of primary PM10

9. Ground level ozone
For ground level ozone, a target value is currently set as value to be attained where possible over a given period.
There is an obvious discrepancy between the substantial cuts in ozone precursor emissions and the stagnation, if not increase, in the observed annual ozone concentrations in Europe.
Reasons include:
Inefficient reductions of the ozone precursor emissions,
Intercontinental transport of ozone and its precursors, including methane,
Changing photochemical equilibrium
Climate change and climate variability
In terms of urban population exposure we are looking here at both the orange and light green which indicate exposure to exceedances of the target value set in EU legislation. Over the years, there is no improvement. Exposure to ozone is of course impacted also by meteorological variability as dispersion conditions differ from year to year. In that sense, 2003 and 2006 where extreme years, as visible here.
In terms of distance to target graphs, you can see that about half of the stations are in exceedance.
Now, contemplate what happens if the red line changes to indicate the WHO air quality guidelines for ozone – 100 ug/m3. More stations are in exceedance of the target value. If we single out the urban background stations and calculate exposure of the urban population, the estimate will be larger.

10. Ground level ozone
Large areas of European land and vegetation are impacted by high ozone concentrations. This shows the AOT40 indicators which is targeting vegetation exposure.
The exposure of agricultural area to ozone excedances is large and persistent.

11. Emissions of ozone precursors

12. Changes in emissions of ozone precursors (1990-2009)
Methane
NMVOC
NOx CO