Topic

Air quality

In 2020 alone, air pollution led to 311,000 premature deaths in the EU’s 27 Member States (EU-27), making this the number one environmental health risk in Europe. The reduction of transport emissions is one of the key objectives of the European Commission which, on 12 May 2021, adopted the Zero Pollution Action Plan, a key component of the European Green Deal. The zero pollution vision for 2050 is for air, water, and soil pollution to be reduced to levels no longer considered harmful to health and natural ecosystems.

A large part of transport-related polluting activities is concentrated in urban areas. Local and regional authorities can therefore play a pivotal role in reducing emissions. Measures that cities and regions can take to curb emissions include the promotion of walking and wheelingcycling and use of public transport, the development of a sustainable urban mobility strategy and adoption of a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan, the implementation of low and zero-emission zones, the transition to less polluting vehicles and investment in charging infrastructure to support the deployment of electric vehicles, and the development of clean procurement practices.


POLIS Working Group on Clean Vehicles and Air Quality

POLIS actively supports its members in the deployment of innovative solutions for a better air quality in urban areas derived from road transport. It does so via a dedicated Working Group on Clean Vehicles and Air Quality, which is currently co-chaired by the City of Amsterdam and the Flanders Region. It meets regularly and allows members to exchange best practices and be updated on the most recent developments concerning air quality standards at the EU level, including the revision of the Ambient Air Quality Directives to better align the EU requirements for cleaner air with the most recent WHO guidelines. But to achieve these objectives, cities need enabling conditions and a proper policy framework from the European and National levels.

As the major European network of cities and regions on transport issues, POLIS facilitates the dialogue between its members and industry stakeholders on the measures that are needed to reduce air pollution in urban areas, such as the introduction of Urban Vehicle Access Regulation schemes (UVARs).


Topical read

Joint POLIS/Eurocities report 'Why the new Euro 7 standards are crucial to delivering cleaner air in cities'

In September 2023, POLIS and EUROCITIES, two leading networks of cities and regions for sustainable mobility, launched a joint brief explaining why an ambitious Euro 7 standards were needed to limit road transport-related emissions, improve air quality, and safeguard citizens’ well-being.

Image: LanaElcova/Shutterstock


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