Air pollution on the advance: This is how Europe is fighting against the dangers!

Air pollution on the advance: This is how Europe is fighting against the dangers!

Brüssel, Belgien - Brussels promises clean air, but the fight against air pollution is anything but won. According to a current report by the European Court of Auditors, the air quality conditions in urban regions have improved slightly, but the future limit values ​​that are to decrease drastically by 2030 will hardly be observed. The upper limit for nitrogen dioxide is halved and the critical value for fine dust is reduced by more than half. This is an alarming condition, because around 250,000 people in Europe die in Europe due to air pollution, such as

obstacles in the air purification process

The measures of the cities such as bicycle streets and environmental zones often fail due to the resistance of the residents, which feel limited in their freedom of movement. These problems are reinforced by poor coordination of the authorities and doubts about the effectiveness of the projects. "The European cities find it difficult to take effective measures," criticizes the Court of Auditors. Although the EU Commission has proposed new, mandatory standards as part of the Green Deal, it remains to be seen whether they are actually implemented. Former environmental commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius demanded that "fresh air should be viewed as a fundamental human right," reports the Doctors Zeitung .

The high pollutant loads from road traffic are particularly questionable. In Germany, the worst air qualities in cities such as Berlin and Passau were found. The report also shows that noise pollution in many European cities is dramatically high, which leads to serious health problems, including sleep disorders and mental illnesses. While air quality requires attention, there is a lack of EU-wide destinations for noise reduction, which further tightens the problem. "The lack of target specifications keeps Member States from priority to reduce noise pollution," says Klaus-Heiner Lehne.