As the EU launches new measures to reach its ambitious ‘zero pollution’ target by 2050, NGOs say the EU is lagging behind and countries warn it is going too far. Both have been criticized.
The plan, which was presented last year as part of the bloc’s Green Deal ambition, promises the EU to reduce pollution “to levels no longer considered harmful to health and natural ecosystems” by mid-century. ing.
As part of that effort, Brussels on Wednesday unveiled new rules aimed at tackling air pollution and cleaning up the way the city treats wastewater. Control of water pollutants.
NGOs are paying particular attention to the long-awaited revision of the EU Air Quality Regulations, which they say should be fully aligned with the World Health Organization’s stricter guidelines.
According to an undated draft regulation obtained by POLITICO, the European Commission proposes tightening the current limits on blocks for many pollutants, including particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide emissions, but WHO recommendations I can’t get it to fit.
The EU’s current limit for particulate matter associated with respiratory disease is five times the latest value considered safe by WHO.
Despite declining air pollution levels across the block in recent years, dirty air remains the main environmental risk factor for human health in Europe, killing 300,000 people in 2019, according to the European Environment Agency. It is the leading cause of premature death.
The EU now allows far more pollution from particulate matter than other high-income countries such as Australia, Switzerland, Canada and the US, says clean air director of legal charity ClientEarth. said Ugo Taddei,
Brussels’ proposals for tougher targets, and the steps countries are taking to ensure they are implemented, will show “whether the EU will become a world leader or lag behind in the fight against air pollution,” he said. he said.
Running late
But as the European Commission sets more ambitious targets to tackle pollution and seeks to deliver on its 2050 pledges, many countries may be reluctant to step up their efforts.
The most vocal opponents are usually the governments in Central and Eastern Europe who have most dramatically failed to meet the current guidelines set in 2008.
NGOs fear that this is likely to happen again, especially as countries focus on ensuring they have enough energy supplies to survive the winter. Many countries in the region, including Hungary and Poland, are resorting to burning cheaper and dirtier fuels amid rising energy prices and worsening pollution problems.
But the problem is worse than in some countries. In an assessment released last month, the European Commission found that the majority of EU countries are still not fully compliant with EU environmental law. About 18 countries are currently facing infringement proceedings that violate air pollution limits.
Critics say this is a result of the EU’s failure to ensure proper enforcement of its rules at the national level.
“It often takes years to process well-founded complaints, sometimes without providing reasons or completely absent,” said NGO BirdLife and the European Environment Agency4. I am writing this based on the evaluation that was announced last month.
Margherita Tolotto, EEB’s senior air quality officer, said EU officials often used the infringement proceedings as a “threat” and would not bring to court countries that failed to adequately respond to initial warnings.
That inaction and lack of ambition by the countries themselves are slowing progress, NGOs say.
According to the European Environment Agency, the block is on track to meet its interim target of reducing air pollution by more than 55% by 2030. Goals by 2032.
Chris Hilson, a law professor at the University of Reading, said the EU’s massive drive to achieve “zero pollution” in line with its net zero climate change goal “admits failure”. “EU environmental law and policy over the past 30 years should have already ensured that.”
local effect
Slow progress has led some EU residents to resort to legal action at the national level, saying the capital should not wait for the EU to set new rules.
A group of nine Belgian citizens filed a lawsuit against local authorities on Monday, saying their failure to set more ambitious air pollution targets in line with the latest WHO recommendations has put their health at risk. claimed.
The legal charity ClientEarth said in a statement that Belgian authorities “are exposing people to levels of air pollution that are up to four times higher than what scientists consider acceptable to breathe.” Stated.
Belgians argued that Belgium should strengthen its own standards ahead of the EU.
“The Belgian state should not wait for now until countries like Hungary and Poland … agree to stricter levels for measuring air pollution,” said an asthma-stricken Brussels-based application. Eric, who spoke on the condition that POLITICO be mentioned…by his name.
A group of German residents filed a similar lawsuit against Berlin last month.
Climate change lawsuits are on the rise across the block, and NGOs are increasingly taking legal action when advocacy does not have the desired effect. Her Anaïs Berthier, head of ClientEarth’s Brussels office, said:
Across the bloc, poorer Eastern and Central European countries and heavy industrial areas are most affected. For example, in the southern Italian coastal town of Taranto, experts say toxic emissions from steel mills are the main factor explaining higher-than-average cancer rates for the local population. a government that does nothing.
Pollution can have very different impacts even within the same city. A study by Brussels outlet Médor found that residents of Brussels’ low-income urban centers faced much higher levels of particulate pollution than those living in wealthier, greener neighborhoods. to worse health outcomes.
“I believe that all residents of Brussels have the right to clean air, wherever they live.
Louise Guillot contributed to the report.
This article is Politico Pro
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