by Walther Ploos van Amstel
The Dutch Clean Air Agreement is outperforming expectations. That deserves recognition — municipalities have worked hard on this for years. But those responsible for air quality policy know that the next challenge is already visible and more complex. RIVM is clear: under the current adopted policy, the stricter 2030 European standards will not be met …
We spend around 6% of our time commuting, but this can account for about 30% of our exposure to some air pollutants. There is widespread scientific consensus that short- and long-term exposures to air pollution are associated with significant health burdens for the population. This evidence continues to strengthen and evolve as air pollution is …
Over 5 percent of Europeans die prematurely because of inadequate air quality; poor air is unhealthy. The EU Environment Agency presented new figures on air quality. In 2020, 96% of the European population was exposed to more particulate matter (PM2.5) than the World Health Organization considers healthy. NOx and Ozone also cause health problems. The …
The recent proposal for the new Euro 7 standards to reduce pollutant emissions from vehicles, although taking some positive steps in the right direction, was met with serious concern by POLIS and Eurocities. Both organisations penned a joint letter urging EU policymakers to review the lack of ambition in the proposal, along with its increased …
Exposure to particulate matter can have serious consequences, including respiratory diseases and the aggravation of cardiovascular diseases. In the Netherlands, 9,000 people die prematurely yearly due to particulate matter exposure. Therefore, a different approach is needed if we want to win the battle against particulate matter and permanently improve air quality in the Netherlands. Based …
It was a tough week for air quality folks. Suddenly, wood smoke is more important than traffic emissions. Even more harmful than smoking. Painful for policymakers. Until last year, home biomass burners were still getting subsidies for their poisonous smoke. We know better now. It is painful because those air quality people want us to …
Better air quality has led to a significant reduction of premature deaths over the past decade in Europe. However, the European Environment Agency’s (EEA) latest official data show that almost all Europeans still suffer from air pollution, leading to about 400,000 premature deaths across the European continent.
The significant reduction in vehicle journeys during the COVID-19 lockdown did not reduce the level of toxic fine particles in Scotland’s air, according to experts at the University of Stirling. Analysis of fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) in the first month of restrictions found little change despite a 65 percent reduction in the number of …
Air pollution? There are many models predicting air pollution levels. But, models are nor very accurate nor precise. Dutch company Caeli is the source of air quality and environmental data that enables businesses and individuals to make better decisions based on air pollution levels. Caeli provides solutions where artificial intelligence meets sensor data from multiple sources.
Air pollution is considered a large threat to human health. Freight transport vehicles are responsible for a large share of air pollution. The impact of pollutants is heavily depending on the number of people present in the proximity of the emission source. This impact is generally calculated using the impact-pathway-approach.