Many European cities still suffer from poor air quality and exceed the 2021 WHO air quality guidelines as well as the EU air quality standards. This is the case in particular for fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which is the air pollutant responsible for most of the well documented
premature deaths and further adverse health effects. A key issue is thus to determine at which scale to act to address these remaining air pollution problems most effectively, in line with the objectives of the EU’s Zero Pollution Action Plan. In this Atlas, both the spatial (e.g. urban, country) and sectoral (transport, residential, agriculture…) contributions to air pollution are quantified for 150 urban areas in Europe. The following conclusions are drawn: (1) for many cities, local actions at the city scale are an effective means of reducing PM2.5 levels and related health effects and premature deaths in that city; (2) target sectors and scales to abate air pollution are city specific; (3) for most cities, further sectoral measures addressing residential heating at the local level, in particular biomass burning, would be very effective; (4) for many cities, further sectoral measures addressing agriculture at country - or EU - scale would clearly benefit urban air quality and (5) the complete fulfilment of the ammonia national emission reduction commitments under the NEC Directive will bring tangible benefits to several EU cities.
THUNIS Philippe;
PISONI Enrico;
ZAULI SAJANI Stefano;
MONFORTI-FERRARIO Fabio;
BESSAGNET Bertrand;
VIGNATI Elisabetta;
DE MEIJ Alexander;
Thunis, P., Pisoni, E., Zauli Sajani, S., Monforti-Ferrario, F., Bessagnet, B., Vignati, E. and De Meij, A., Urban PM2.5 Atlas, Air Quality in European Cities, 2023 Report, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2023, doi:10.2760/200848, JRC134950.
2023-11-22
Publications Office of the European Union
JRC134950
978-92-68-08065-8 (online),
978-92-68-08447-2 (print),
1831-9424 (online),
1018-5593 (print),
EUR 31679 EN,
OP KJ-NA-31-679-EN-N (online),
OP KJ-NA-31-679-EN-C (print),
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC134950,
10.2760/63641 (online),
10.2760/200848 (print),
