The fight for better air quality in the EU

Over 90% of the EU’s urban population is still exposed to air pollution levels exceeding WHO guidelines. The European Commission proposed major revisions to its air quality standards – including the EU’s Ambient Air Quality Directive – in October 2022. The changes are part of the EU’s zero pollution vision for 2050 to reduce air, water and soil pollution to levels no longer considered harmful to health and natural ecosystem.

The European Commission proposed major revisions to its air quality standards in October 2022. Despite this, air pollution levels remain high and continue to pose significant risks to vulnerable groups, such as small children and the elderly.

In their latest episode, hosts of Green Big Deal’s podcast talked to Margherita Tolotto, Senior Policy Officer for Air and Noise at the European Environmental Bureau, and Agnieszka Warso-Buchanan, Senior Lawyer in ClientEarth, about the EU’s air pollution problem. The episode explored the role of lawsuits in catalysing action, current efforts to align laws with the science, and what citizens can do to get their voices heard.