What to do about Europe's invisible killer – urban pollution
20 January 2025
Air pollution causes more than 250,000 premature deaths annually in European cities. That's the worrying takeaway of a report published last week by the European Court of Auditors (ECA).
Transportation and domestic heating are the main sectors responsible for air pollution. Vehicles, especially those running on petrol and diesel, emit significant nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), which harms our respiratory systems. In 2020 alone, exposure to high NO₂ levels resulted in approximately 49,000 early deaths – the number of deaths that occur before the average age – across the EU.
Then there's fine particulate matter (PM2.5), primarily from burning solid fuels like coal or wood for heating. Shockingly, in 2021, PM2.5 was linked to 253,000 deaths.
On the other hand, the European Environment Agency estimates that one-fifth of people in the EU are exposed to harmful noise levels. Long-term exposure to excessive noise can cause sleep disturbance, cardiovascular disease, annoyance, cognitive impairment, and mental health problems. Road noise is the main source of noise pollution.
 | Lorenzo Di Stasi EU auditors meanwhile identified significant differences in member states' implementation of directives combatting urban pollution. They have called on the Commission to intensify its oversight of member states' adherence to environmental directives. Meanwhile, good practices put in place in some cities can serve as an example to improve. In Krakow, 45,000 old heating systems had been replaced out of 45,200. To maximise the impact, the municipality banned burning coal and wood in 2019. Barcelona municipality started implementing 33 km of 'green streets', an urban project that converts streets for motorised traffic into spaces (between blocks of houses) where pedestrians and cyclists have priority over cars. These areas are planted with vegetation to reduce air and noise pollution and lower the temperature in the summer. |
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