2020-4

Acid News

Emissions from ships and planes continue to rise

Air and sea transport must reduce GHG emissions at the same rate as land transport by 2040 at the latest in industrialised countries, and by 2050 global.
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Acid News

Enormous costs for CCS

“Full Chain CCS” in Norway has received finance from the government. It will cost 1.74 billion euros to capture and store CO2 from one cement factory, equivalent to €434/tonne of CO2, or about 17 times the price in European emission trading.
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Acid News

Combustion-engine cars need to be phased out in Europe by 2025

With a view to limiting global warming to 1.5°C, internal-combustion-engine (diesel and petrol) cars need to be phased out in Europe by 2025; hybrid vehicles by 2028.
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Acid News

15% of global Covid deaths linked to air pollution

The Federal Environment Agency (UBA) Long-term exposure to air pollution has been linked to an increased risk of dying from Covid-19 and a new study has estimated the proportion of deaths from the coronavirus that could be attributed to the exacerbating effects of air pollution for every country in the world.
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Acid News

Improved air quality in Covid-19 lockdown

Improved air quality during lockdown averted tens of thousands of premature deaths, according to a study published in The Lancet Planetary Health. Between February and March, the researchers found that an estimated 24,200 premature deaths associated with PM2.5 pollution were averted throughout China. This compares to the reported 3309 fatalities from Covid-19. In Europe, although Covid-19 fatalities were far higher, a reduction in pollution meant that 2109 premature deaths were avoided.
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Acid News

Europe’s worst polluters revealed

As national governments and the EU fail to report crucial information on industrial pollution, a new NGO database shows which facilities are playing by the rules. The “Industrial Plant Data Viewer” allows users to access and compare data from over 3000 large combustion plants across the EU, and check whether they are doing their job to prevent pollution. It was launched by the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) to help fill the transparency gap in EU industrial emissions reporting.
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Acid News

New EU infringement actions on air pollution

In its October infringements package, the European Commission announced that it will file a case at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) against the French government over its systematic failure to meet EU air quality standards for particulate matter (PM10). Letters of formal notice were sent to Croatia and Italy for breaching the limit values for particulate matter (PM10 and/or PM2.5) in several areas, and the measures taken to lower air pollution are insufficient to keep exceedance periods as short as possible.
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Acid News

Clean air for all is achievable

Achieving clean air across the world is possible, according to a new study by IIASA. The researchers conclude that a combination of ambitious policies focusing on pollution controls, energy and climate, agricultural production systems and addressing human consumption habits could drastically improve air quality throughout the world.
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Acid News

EU court rules against Italy

On 10 November, the EU Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that Italy has failed to tackle illegally high levels of air pollution, by systematically and repeatedly breaching daily and annual limit values for particulate matter (PM10) across several regions, including Rome, Palermo, Milan, Turin, Vicenza and the Lombardy region.
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Acid News

EU consultation on Zero-Pollution Ambition

A new consultation is open from 11 November 2020 to 10 February 2021 to gather views from citizens and stakeholders on an EU action plan “Towards a Zero-Pollution Ambition for air, water and soil”. In its European Green Deal, the European Commission said that the EU needs to move towards a zero-pollution ambition, and better prevent and remedy pollution of air, water and soil, and from consumer products. The Commission has announced that it will adopt a Zero-Pollution Action Plan in 2021.
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