Air pollution is easy to ignore. It’s often hard to see, little more than an intense hue on the horizon at sunset or a disconcerting tint in the sky seen from a plane window when landing. It often harms or kills us via illnesses that take years to manifest: cardiovascular diseases, stroke, asthma, and lung cancer. In 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized air pollution as the single biggest environmental threat to human health, proposing stricter air quality guidelines.
This week, the Council of the European Union, representing the governments of its 27 members, formally adopted a revised set of air quality standards for EU member states. Member states must now put forward plans on how to tackle air pollution domestically and incorporate the new standards into national law within two years.
Unfortunately, the revised directive also allows member states to apply to delay their compliance with the new targets until 2035 or 2040.
The revised directive introduces stricter limits on key air pollutants, including those with the highest documented impacts on health: fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The EU has estimated that in 2021, exposure to fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide above the WHO recommendations caused 253,000 and 52,000 premature deaths, respectively, across the EU. Children, pregnant people, elderly people, and people with certain health conditions such as respiratory and cardiovascular disease, as well as socioeconomically disadvantaged groups, are particularly at risk.
The directive does have one particularly promising element: governments must enable citizens to claim and obtain compensation if their health is damaged because of an intentional or negligent violation of national rules.
There’s a long way to go to properly implement national laws and improve Europe’s air quality. Many of the sources of outdoor air pollution—for example, the use of fossil fuels for power generation and heavy industry—are also significant sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Limiting the burning of coal, oil, and gas improves air quality and slows global warming.
Breathing clean air is a fundamental human right, and robust laws on air pollution can help people across the EU live healthier lives. EU countries should swiftly adopt and enforce the new standards. Compensating people whose health has been harmed by government neglect will be a breath of fresh air.
