EU may not meet pollution cut goal

EUROPE'S air pollution emissions are generally down since 1990, in some cases by between 10 and 27 per cent, but there is still uncertainty about whether the EU will meet its target of reducing carbon dioxide levels by 2000.

The provisional results were released yesterday by the European Environment Agency following its first major survey of air pollution trends in the IS EU member states, covering the period 1990-1994.

Eight main pollutants were measured because of their contribution to several environmental problems, including climate change, acidification of lakes and forests, tropospheric (ground level) ozone and urban air quality.

The most dramatic reduction, of 27 per cent, was recorded for sulphur dioxide, mainly due to several measures in the energy sector, such as a shift from coal to gas and low sulphur coal for electricity generation.

Thus, the EU has already achieved its target of reducing sulphur dioxide emissions to 1985 levels by 2000. However, the EEA said that even meeting this target would leave certain parts of Europe with a "critical" acid rain problem.

Emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) fell by 10 per cent, mainly due to the economic recession, small decreases in industrial production and the introduction of abatement measures - such as catalytic converters - in the transport sector.

The EEA noted that recent proposals by the European Commission aimed at reducing NOx emissions from new vehicles would lead to further reductions before 2000 and more significant reductions after that date.

The slight reduction of 2 per cent in carbon dioxide emissions was mainly due to short term factors like deindustrialisation in eastern Germany, the closure of coal mines in the UK and the conversion of power plants to gas.

However, because of transport growth, low energy prices and a slow improvement in energy efficiency there was still "great uncertainty" about whether the EU would meet the target of stabilising carbon dioxide emissions at 1990 levels by 2000.

Carbon dioxide is Europe's largest single pollutant, with a total of 3,230 million tonnes emitted into the atmosphere by the 15 EU countries in 1994.