Sustainable Development Goals and Air Pollution in Europe
While air pollution is largely invisible to us in our daily lives, the health impacts of breathing tiny PM2.5 particles is increasingly well known. So what can we do about it?
A study from the Barcelona research institute ISGlobal connects health impacts to their sources in more than 800 cities across Europe, and identifies priorities for action. Some sources are obvious, but many have been overlooked for years.
Main Sources of Air Pollution in Europe
- Home heating
- Agriculture
- Industry
- Transport
- Shipping
For Europe as a whole, the main source of air pollution is home heating. This is followed by agriculture, industry, transport and shipping, but priorities vary from place to place. For north-west Europe, agriculture is dominant. Transport pollution is the biggest source in the cities of central and north-west Europe, along with northern Italy. Farther east, home heating, energy generation and agriculture are priorities for action.
1. Home heating
Burning solid fuel is the most polluting way to heat homes. The health cost of air pollution from home heating across Europe is estimated at €29bn a year in 2018.
In eastern Europe, home heating with coal remains popular. In Italy, the impacts come mainly from wood burning.
2. Agriculture
The main source of PM2.5 from agriculture is ammonia emitted from fertiliser and animal waste. This pollutes our rivers as well as our air.
If farmers reduced ammonia emissions they would need to buy less fertiliser to put nitrogen into their soils.
3. Industry and power generation
Large industries across the developed world are subject to inspection and control but they still add to our air pollution.
Examples of sudden health improvements following the closure of polluting industrial sites demonstrate the burden that industry can still create, and therefore the opportunities for better technological solutions.
4. Traffic
Vehicles bought in Europe today contain engine management systems, filters and catalysts to clean their exhausts but all vehicles, even electric ones, still produce particle pollution from the wear of brakes, tyres and road surfaces.
Long-term solutions lie in the design of our towns and cities.
5. Shipping
Shipping remains a major source of particle pollution. In the UK, breathing PM2.5 from shipping is estimated to result in a health cost of about £1.5bn at 2017 prices.
Where shoreside power is not used, ships tend to keep auxiliary engines running to satisfy their power.
What can I do?
There are clearly actions that we can take in our everyday lives to reduce particle pollution. Not heating our homes with solid fuels and reducing our exposure to traffic are some examples. However, it is widely recognized in the climate debate that focusing on individual actions can divert responsibility from the sectors that are really responsible for the problem. These require action by governments and industries.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Relevant to the Article
1. Home heating
- SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
- Target 3.9: By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination.
- Indicator 3.9.1: Mortality rate attributed to household and ambient air pollution.
- SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
- Target 7.2: By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
- Indicator 7.2.1: Renewable energy share in the total final energy consumption.
2. Agriculture
- SDG 2: Zero Hunger
- Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production.
- Indicator 2.4.1: Proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture.
- SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
- Target 6.3: By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials.
- Indicator 6.3.2: Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality.
3. Industry and power generation
- SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
- Target 9.4: By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes.
- Indicator 9.4.1: CO2 emission per unit of value added.
- SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
- Target 12.4: By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water, and soil to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment.
- Indicator 12.4.2: Hazardous waste generated per capita and proportion of hazardous waste treated, disaggregated by treatment type.
4. Traffic
- SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
- Target 11.2: By 2030, provide access to safe, affordable, accessible, and sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety, notably by expanding public transport, with special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities, and older persons.
- Indicator 11.2.1: Proportion of population that has convenient access to public transport, by sex, age, and persons with disabilities.
- SDG 13: Climate Action
- Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
- Indicator 13.1.1: Number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population.
5. Shipping
- SDG 14: Life Below Water
- Target 14.1: By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, particularly from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution.
- Indicator 14.1.1: Index of coastal eutrophication and floating plastic debris density.
- SDG 15: Life on Land
- Target 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains, and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements.
- Indicator 15.1.2: Proportion of important sites for terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity that are covered by protected areas, by ecosystem type.
Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being | Target 3.9: By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination. | Indicator 3.9.1: Mortality rate attributed to household and ambient air pollution. |
| SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy | Target 7.2: By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix. | Indicator 7.2.1: Renewable energy share in the total final energy consumption. |
| SDG 2: Zero Hunger | Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production. | Indicator 2.4.1: Proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture. |
| SDG 6: Clean Water and San
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