{"id":365737,"date":"2022-05-13T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-13T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/innovationorigins.com\/?p=365737"},"modified":"2022-05-13T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-05-13T10:00:00","slug":"air-quality-in-european-cities-keeps-being-poor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/air-quality-in-european-cities-keeps-being-poor\/","title":{"rendered":"Air quality in European cities remains poor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-ugb-button ugb-button-wrapper ugb-92f4368 ugb-main-block\"><div class=\"ugb-inner-block\"><div class=\"ugb-block-content\"><div class=\"ugb-button-container\"><a class=\"ugb-button1 ugb-button ugb-button--size-normal\" href=\"https:\/\/innovationorigins.com\/en\/decarbonizing-europe\/\/\" rel=\"\" title=\"\"><span class=\"ugb-button--inner\">Read more about the countries involved in this project<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Stefan Thorliefsson was 103 years old and was featured in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visir.is\/g\/20212084947d\">piece<\/a> by the Icelandic news magazine Visir while enjoying a game of golf. He died in March 2021, after being named the oldest man in the country. A diet of fish and genes played an important role as well as the fact that he lived in the country with the best air quality in Europe. However, it makes a big difference where you live in Europe. In Iceland, the average life expectancy is over 83 years, while in Bosnia it is only 77.5 years. Air quality is one of the factors having the biggest influence on this. And that\u2019s where we are working hard, thanks in part to the Recovery and Resilience Plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Bosnia, the older population &#8220;belong to a vulnerable category&#8221; &#8211; as outlined in a United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) <a href=\"https:\/\/unece.org\/DAM\/pau\/age\/country_rpts\/2017\/BIH_report.pdf\">report<\/a>. Low income and high morbidity rates for cardiovascular diseases are some of the reasons to justify such a definition. Bosnia also leads the statistics for the highest number of years in age lost due to poor air quality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visir.is\/player\/5350b002-cc5f-4d6d-a4d8-931ece26e6c0-1564492330383\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless=\"seamless\" allowfullscreen=\"\" width=\"752\" height=\"423\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the&nbsp; <a href=\"http:\/\/eea.eu\">European Environmental Agency<\/a> &#8211; EEA &#8211; in the EU, 307,000 premature deaths in 2019 can be attributed to exposure to fine particulate matter &#8211; the most dangerous air pollutant. As such, cities and large urban areas are the places where the most polluted air can be found.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If casualties are the most striking example of what bad air quality entails, there\u2019s more than that. &#8220;Air quality also affects other aspects of our lives, such as the economy and productivity of a certain area,&#8221; explains Alberto Gonz\u00e1lez Ortiz. He works as an air quality expert at the <a href=\"http:\/\/eea.eu\">European Environmental Agency<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In an effort to reverse this trend, the EU is seeking to reduce the number of premature deaths from particulate matter by 55 percent by 2030 compared to 2005 figures with its <a href=\"https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/environment\/strategy\/zero-pollution-action-plan_en\">Zero pollution action plan<\/a>. The EEA estimates that 456,000 deaths could be attributed to exposure to particulate matter in 2005.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"flourish-embed flourish-chart\" data-src=\"visualisation\/9298719\"><script src=\"https:\/\/public.flourish.studio\/resources\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Energy sources make a difference in air quality <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A diet of fish, genetics &#8211; forged by exposure to harsh weather conditions &#8211; and an active lifestyle are some of the reasons that explain Iceland&#8217;s statistics, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/borgenproject.org\/10-facts-about-life-expectancy-in-iceland\/\">The Borgen Project<\/a> &#8211; a US nonprofit that focuses on poverty. It is also worth noting that hot springs across the country &#8211; in addition to generating energy &#8211; help make the air cleaner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In contrast, <a href=\"https:\/\/borgenproject.org\/life-expectancy-in-bosnia-and-herzegovina\/#:~:text=Life%20Expectancy%3A%20Life%20expectancy%20in,the%20Balkan%20average%20of%2077.\">the lack of proper regulation of pollution from energy generation <\/a>&#8211; the country is in the process of switching from coal to renewable energy sources &#8211; is one of Bosnia&#8217;s biggest problems. As a result, respiratory health is poor and lung cancers are common. In addition, the aftermath of the war is still having a major impact on the quality of life, as much of the infrastructure has been badly rebuilt &#8211; making it harder for people to easily reach hospitals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Particulate matter is the most harmful pollutant<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Various types of gases pollute the urban environment. Traffic and the burning of fuels are the main causes of this pollution.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Particulate matter (PM) is a mixture of particles and droplets in the air. They are classified as <em>PM 10<\/em> &#8211; when they measure 10 micrometers &#8211; \u00b5m -in diameter or <em>PM2.5 <\/em>when measuring 2.5 \u00b5m in diameter or less. Fuel combustion, industrial activities, and road transport are the sources of particulate matter. It is the pollutant causing the highest number of deaths.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Central and Eastern Europe &#8211; as well as northern Italy &#8211; are the areas suffering the most from this kind of pollution. If in the eastern countries the main driver of this emission is the use of coal in household heating and industrial plants, meteorological conditions also influence the high concentration of PM. The combination of densely populated areas and industrial facilities and the Po Valley\u2019s climate makes the north of Italy one of the most polluted regions in the EU.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"flourish-embed\" data-src=\"story\/1233590\"><script src=\"https:\/\/public.flourish.studio\/resources\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Worst nitrogen dioxide pollution in European capitals\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Nitrogen dioxide <\/em>&#8211; NO<sub>2<\/sub> &#8211; is generated by road transport. Therefore, the most populated areas and the ones with more traffic are those that experience the highest levels of pollution.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a matter of fact, the major European cities have the highest concentrations of this kind of NO<sub>2<\/sub>. For instance, in some cities such as Madrid, Paris, and Berlin, some traffic stations detected an annual mean concentration of more than 50 \u00b5g\/m<sup>3<\/sup> &#8211; the EU\u2019s annual limit value is set at 40 \u00b5g\/m<sup>3<\/sup>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"flourish-embed flourish-map\" data-src=\"visualisation\/9007532\"><script src=\"https:\/\/public.flourish.studio\/resources\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Southern European countries suffer from ozone pollution\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Another primary pollutant is <em>ozone<\/em> &#8211; O<sub>3<\/sub>. If NO<sub>2<\/sub> and particulate matter are directly emitted by burning fuels, O<sub>3&nbsp;<\/sub>originates from the chemical reactions between nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds. Such reactions are triggered by heat and light. As a result, the Mediterranean countries are those where the highest concentration of this pollutant can be found.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"vlp-link-container vlp-layout-basic wp-block-visual-link-preview-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/measuring-air-pollution-with-a-cell-phone\/\" class=\"vlp-link\" title=\"Measuring air pollution with a cell phone\"><\/a><div class=\"vlp-layout-zone-side\"><div class=\"vlp-block-2 vlp-link-image\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vlp-layout-zone-main\"><div class=\"vlp-block-0 vlp-link-title\">Measuring air pollution with a cell phone<\/div><div class=\"vlp-block-1 vlp-link-summary\">The German Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nano Systems ENAS is making great progress with the development of an infrared spectrometer on a chip that can [&hellip;]<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Did these values have an impact on the spread of coronavirus? When asked about it, Gonz\u00e1lez denied any correlation. \u201cAll the studies we have been analyzing don\u2019t show any clear causality between air quality and COVID-19 spread and mortality. If you have been breathing polluted air, your respiratory system has been affected for sure, and you\u2019re more prone to contracting a respiratory disease.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"flourish-embed flourish-map\" data-src=\"visualisation\/9011892\"><script src=\"https:\/\/public.flourish.studio\/resources\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">City planning as a way to protect the vulnerable\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If using more sustainable ways of transportation and greener sources of energy for heating have the greatest impact in terms of reducing pollution, other preventative action can be taken too.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized advgb-dyn-2c7cf23e\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.ioplus.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/image.jpg\" alt=\"Gonz\u00e1lezOrtiz\" class=\"wp-image-366213\" width=\"272\" height=\"409\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Alberto Gonz\u00e1lez Ortiz &#8211; \u00a9 EEA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen planning new areas of a city, locating hospitals, elderly care facilities, and schools in less exposed zones can help. This way, the more vulnerable segment of the population are protected,\u201d underlines Gonz\u00e1lez.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Barcelona\u2019s superblocks as a model for other European cities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAfter the 2020 lockdown, several cities took measures to reduce emissions. Milan, for instance, expanded the pedestrian areas. Barcelona and its idea for superblocks also represent a good example. Over there, walking around on foot is encouraged and the speed limits are stricter,&#8221; the EEA expert explains.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ajuntament.barcelona.cat\/superilles\/en\/\">Barcelona <em>Superilles<\/em><\/a><em> <\/em>&#8211; the Catalan word for Superblocks &#8211; are aimed at putting people at the heart of everything. This kind of street transformation seeks to reclaim the space that has been taken over by private vehicles. The goal is not only to improve air quality, but also to promote the local economy and social cohesion.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"vlp-link-container vlp-layout-basic wp-block-visual-link-preview-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/good-plinth-design-essential-urban-development\/\" class=\"vlp-link\" title=\"A good plinth design is essential for successful urban development\"><\/a><div class=\"vlp-layout-zone-side\"><div class=\"vlp-block-2 vlp-link-image\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vlp-layout-zone-main\"><div class=\"vlp-block-0 vlp-link-title\">A good plinth design is essential for successful urban development<\/div><div class=\"vlp-block-1 vlp-link-summary\">The ground level of a building, the part that you can see most clearly from the street as a pedestrian, attracts a great deal of [&hellip;]<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Citizenship awareness makes the difference\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally to spatial planning, Gonz\u00e1lez stresses the importance of people\u2019s awareness. <em>\u201c<\/em>Knowing what level of pollution they live in and the impact it can have on them can stimulate people to act differently and change their lifestyles. This way, we can press the authorities to do more,\u201d he emphasizes.<em>&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">15 minutes city as the new standard <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Superilles concept from Barcelona has its roots in a broader model of the city. This has been dubbed the <a href=\"https:\/\/obelaward.org\/the-15-minute-city\/\">15-minute city <\/a>and was devised by Carlos Moreno &#8211; professor of Complex Systems and Innovation at Sorbonne University. The model is centered on citizens having access to all their daily needs within a 15-minute walk or bike ride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Moreno&#8217;s philosophy was adopted in Paris and New York, as both cities allocated funds for participatory projects based on this model. Smaller cities also embraced the concept, but it is expected to be more beneficial to metropolises. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c40knowledgehub.org\/s\/article\/How-to-build-back-better-with-a-15-minute-city?language=en_US\">C40 knowledge hub<\/a> endorsed the model and promoted it as a blueprint for recovery after COVID-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shorter &#8211; and more sustainable &#8211; commutes could be not only a way of making cities more livable, but also an effective way of purifying the air we breathe every day.<br><\/p>\n<style class=\"advgb-styles-renderer\">.ugb-92f4368 .ugb-block-content .ugb-button{border-radius:3px}.ugb-92f4368 .ugb-button1{background-color:#063b6d;padding-top:8px;padding-bottom:8px;border-radius:3px !important}.ugb-92f4368 .ugb-button1 .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-92f4368 .ugb-button1 svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-92f4368 .ugb-button1:hover .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-92f4368 .ugb-button1:hover svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-92f4368 .ugb-button1:hover{background-color:#002d57;opacity:1}.ugb-92f4368 .ugb-button1:before{border-radius:3px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-92f4368.ugb-button-wrapper{margin-top:0px !important;margin-right:0px !important;margin-left:0px !important;padding-top:0px !important;padding-right:0px !important;padding-bottom:0px !important;padding-left:0px !important}}<\/style>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stefan Thorliefsson was 103 years old and was featured in a piece by the Icelandic news magazine Visir while enjoying a game of golf. He died in March 2021, after being named the oldest man in the country. A diet of fish and genes played an important role as well as the fact that he [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2084,"featured_media":513765,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"views\/single-decarb.blade.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[67910],"tags":[34112,70100,67913,70274,20947],"location":[70256],"article_type":[60595],"serie":[],"archives":[67912],"internal_archives":[],"reboot-archive":[],"class_list":["post-365737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-decarbonizing-europe","tag-air-quality","tag-decarb-europe","tag-decarbonizingeurope","tag-european-environmental-agency","tag-pollution","location-eu","article_type-analysis","archives-decarbonizing-europe"],"blocksy_meta":[],"acf":{"subtitle":"Despite improvements, there are thousands of deaths each year from exposure to harmful pollutants, which are caused by traffic and the burning of fuels, among other things.","text_display_homepage":false},"author_meta":{"display_name":"Mauro Mereu","author_link":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/author\/mauro-mereu\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/iKiLXGsS-h6uIXo2l-ByZjrxPT-EamJdjYO-prague-ge29b4c731_1920.jpg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/decarbonizing-europe\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Decarbonizing Europe<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Decarbonizing Europe<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/decarbonizing-europe\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">air quality<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/decarbonizing-europe\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">decarb-europe<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/decarbonizing-europe\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">DecarbonizingEurope<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/decarbonizing-europe\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">European Environmental Agency<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/category\/decarbonizing-europe\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">pollution<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">air quality<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">decarb-europe<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">DecarbonizingEurope<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">European Environmental Agency<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">pollution<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 4 years ago","modified":"Updated 4 years ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on May 13, 2022","modified":"Updated on May 13, 2022"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on May 13, 2022 12:00 pm","modified":"Updated on May 13, 2022 12:00 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365737","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2084"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=365737"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365737\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/513765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=365737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=365737"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=365737"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=365737"},{"taxonomy":"article_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_type?post=365737"},{"taxonomy":"serie","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/serie?post=365737"},{"taxonomy":"archives","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/archives?post=365737"},{"taxonomy":"internal_archives","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal_archives?post=365737"},{"taxonomy":"reboot-archive","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reboot-archive?post=365737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}