Swedish Environment Agency PA demands stronger EU air strategy

The EU should set more ambitious targets for cutting air pollution than finally proposed by the European Commission’s air quality strategy (Cafe),Sweden’s Environmental Protection Agency argues in a new analysis.

Cafe was weakened shortly before its publication following objections that its estimated €12.1 billion price tag would harm European industry. The Swedish EPA insists that a return to the previous higher ambition level is necessary, and that the costs of doing so have been overestimated. Under the Commission’s proposal, the agency says, by 2020 pollution by fine particles will still be reducing life expectancy in Sweden by 2.4 months. Some 12.5 per cent of Swedish forests and 9 per cent of lakes will still suffer acidic deposition than they can cope with. About 8 per cent of soils will still contain elevated nutrient levels. Further details are available at: www.naturvardsverket.se/dokument/omverket/yttrande/yttrandok/luft0510.pdf