Policies to Reduce Air Pollution
Air quality is a major issue for health and the environment. In France, the cost of air pollution is estimated at 70 to 100 billion euros per year by the Senate Commission of Inquiry (report submitted in 2015). Over the period 2016-2019, Santé Publique France estimates that “each year nearly 40,000 deaths would be attributable to exposure of people aged 30 years and over to fine particles (PM2.5). Thus, exposure to ambient air pollution represents an average loss of life expectancy of nearly 8 months for people aged 30 years and over for PM2.5”. The policy in favor of air quality requires ambitious actions, at the international and local levels, in all sectors of activity. The State, local authorities, companies, citizens, and non-governmental organizations must combine their efforts to guarantee everyone’s right to breathe air that is not harmful to their health. This policy is committed, and long-term, and its effects are progressive.
International and European framework for reducing air pollution
Air pollution can travel long distances. Regulatory measures are taken at the international and European levels.
European standards for concentrations of certain pollutants
At the European level, directives (2004/107 and 2008/50/EC) set the health standards to be respected. This translates into the obligation :
- to monitor air quality ;
- to inform the population of the quality of the air;
- to respect the sanitary standards fixed;
- to implement action plans in areas where health standards are exceeded so that they can be met as soon as possible.
International and European targets for reducing emissions of certain pollutants
At the international level, emission ceilings for certain pollutants are set under the Gothenburg Protocol (LRTAP), as part of the Geneva Convention. This protocol was revised in 2012 and sets emission reduction targets for certain pollutants by 2020, compared to 2005 emissions.
At the European level, Directive (EU) 2016/2284 of December 16, 2016 sets targets for reducing pollutant emissions compared to 2005 emissions for the 2020 and 2030 horizons, incorporating the objectives of the Gothenburg Protocol.
These obligations result in the requirement to implement:
- a system of national air pollutant emission inventories ;
- a national action plan to reduce air pollutant emissions.
- The objectives, set for each Member State, must make it possible to reduce premature mortality due to air pollution by 50% at the European level.
European sectoral regulations for air quality
Numerous directives and regulations concerned in particular the reduction of pollutant emissions from
- transport (road, non-road, maritime…) by regulating the quality of fuels, or emissions from engines;
- industrial activities (IED directive, BREF, combustion installations…);
- certain domestic appliances: eco-design of boilers and individual heating appliances;
- the use of certain products (directive on the use of solvents to reduce VOC emissions).
- Monitor, assess, and forecast air quality
- Monitoring air quality and knowing the emissions of pollutants makes it possible to inform citizens and decision-makers to prioritize action and inform the public. In France, air quality monitoring has been mandatory since 1996.
- National air quality monitoring system
- Several actors ensure this system.
The ministry in charge of the environment defines the regulations relating to the monitoring of atmospheric pollutants. It is responsible for coordinating the monitoring of regulated pollutants in the air.
It publishes the national air quality report every year.
The 2016 National Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Plan (NAAQMP) defines the organizational, technical, and financial guidelines in this article from Entrepreneurs Break for the national air quality monitoring system over the period 2016-2021. This plan has been extended for a period of 3 years.
