About: air quality Archives

The German government on Wednesday (14 February) sought to play down plans to introduce free public transport, a day after the radical proposal to fight air pollution made headlines around the world.

"Car nation" Germany has surprised its European neighbours with a radical proposal to reduce road traffic by making public transport free, as Berlin scrambles to meet EU air pollution targets and avoid big fines.

The European Commission will decide next month whether to launch legal cases against nine member states that are accused of breaking air pollution action, after additional information was submitted at the eleventh hour.

The third cause of death in France, air quality is particularly affected by agricultural activity. But it's an issue that is barely touched upon in the talks on the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). EURACTIV.fr reports

While Bulgaria hosted a forum on Eco-innovation for air quality this week, its citizens are denied the right to clean air. Bulgaria has some of the dirtiest in Europe, yet its citizens are not allowed to go to court and claim their right to clean air, warns Ugo Taddei.

The European Commission revealed on Thursday (1 February) how it plans to update drinking water rules, with the goal of improving human health, reducing emissions and tackling plastic waste high on the list of priorities.

Germany's scandal-hit auto giant Volkswagen on Tuesday (30 January) suspended its chief lobbyist Thomas Steg as outrage mounted over monkey and human experiments to study the effects of diesel exhaust fumes.

Environment ministers from some of the EU’s worst air pollution offenders have been summoned to Brussels for an end-of-month meeting with the European Commission, where they will have to answer some tough questions.

Azerbaijan, via its state energy company SOCAR, is ready to engage in Bulgaria’s gasification at its own expense. The statement was made by the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of a visit by the Prime Minister of Bulgaria Boyko Borissov to the central Asian country.

Bulgaria will join Poland in an appeal against a European Commission decision to impose stricter limits on toxic pollutants coal-fired plants emit, the government said on Wednesday (10 January).

Given that we spend 90% of our time indoors, the quality of our homes, schools and workplaces is a critical public health issue. Growing evidence shows that the efficiency and design of our buildings is an even bigger public health issue than previously thought, warns Mikaela Odemyr.

The European Court of Auditors is to embark on a comprehensive review of the European Union’s efforts to curb air pollution, the main environmental cause of premature deaths in the EU.

A lot is at stake for the energy security of Europe if political correctness was to dictate imposing one technology against the other, John Cooper, Director General of FuelsEurope told EURACTIV.com.

Dirty air can lead to women giving birth to smaller babies, according to new research which also warns that exposure to air pollution during pregnancy rivals the damage done by smoking.

Cars must be driven out of cities to tackle the UK’s air pollution crisis, not just replaced with electric vehicles, according to the UK government’s top adviser. EURACTIV's partner The Guardian reports.

Major roads in the United Kingdom could be turned into tunnels covered with pollution-absorbing material in an effort to cut emission fumes and improve air quality. EURACTIV's partner The Guardian reports.

German Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks called for a fundamental change in policy in order to promote emissions-free mobility. In interview with EURACTIV’s partner Der Tagesspiegel she also warned about competition from China.

Health costs related to fossil fuel use outweigh taxpayer-funded subsidies by 600%, according to a new study that insists governments should stop pumping money into dirty energy sources.

British consumers could enjoy savings worth billions of pounds as a result of major changes to electricity generation, usage and storage, under new plans by the UK government. Westminster also intends to ban sales of new diesel and petrol cars by 2040.

India is hoping to become the first big world power where all cars on its roads are electric, as part of its efforts to combat severe atmospheric pollution. 1.8 million deaths are caused by it every year on the subcontinent. EURACTIV’s partner Italia Oggi reports.

Cruise ships can emit as much particulate matter as a million cars every day and the air quality on deck can be as bad as the world’s most polluted cities, according to a new investigation.

A last-minute push by energy activists has convinced the European Commission to include indoor air quality considerations into the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). Making it happen on the ground could prove a bigger challenge, however.

The renovation of the EU’s building stock is seen as critical in achieving the bloc’s climate change targets, while reducing dependence on imported fuel. However, less is known about the positive impact renovation can have on people's health.

Organisations representing asthma patients have called on the EU governments to stick to their air quality commitments to protect citizens' health and public budgets.