Emissions of primary PM2.5 and PM10 particulate matter

Assessment versions

Published (reviewed and quality assured)

• No published assessments

Rationale

Justification for indicator selection

In recent years scientific evidence has been strengthened by many epidemiological studies that indicate there is an association between long and short-term exposure to fine particulate matter and various serious health impacts. Fine particles have adverse effects on human health and can be responsible for and/or contribute to a number of respiratory problems. Fine particles in this context refer to primary particulate matter (PM_2.5 and PM₁₀) and emissions of secondary particulate matter precursors (NO_X, SO₂ and NH₃). Primary PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ refers to fine particles (defined as having diameter of 2.5 µm or 10 µm or less, respectively) emitted directly to the atmosphere. Secondary particulate matter precursors are pollutants that are partly transformed into particles by photo-chemical reactions in the atmosphere. A large fraction of the urban population is exposed to levels of fine particulate matter in excess of limit values set for the protection of human health. There have been a number of recent policy initiatives that aim to control particulate concentrations and thus protect human health.

Detailed information on emissions of the secondary particulate matter precursors may also be found in the accompanying indicator fact-sheets for sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and ammonia.

Scientific references

• No rationale references available

Indicator definition

• This indicator tracks trends since 1990 in anthropogenic emissions of primary particulate matter less than 2.5 µm (PM_2.5) and 10 µm (PM₁₀) respectively, and secondary particulate matter precursors (nitrogen oxides (NO_X), ammonia (NH₃), and sulphur dioxide (SO₂)).
• The indicator also provides information on emissions by sectors: Energy production and distribution; Energy use in industry; Industrial processes; Road transport; Non-road transport; Commercial, institutional and households; Solvent and product use; Agriculture; Waste; Other.
• Geographical coverage: EEA-32. The EEA-32 country grouping includes countries of the EU-27 (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom) EFTA-4 (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Norway) and Turkey.
• Temporal coverage: 1990-2010.

Units

ktonnes (1000 tonnes)

Policy context and targets

Context description

There are no specific EU emission targets set for primary particulate matter, as with respect to PM emissions, measures are currently focused on controlling emissions of the secondary PM precursors. However, there are several Directives that affect the emissions of primary PM, including the 2008 Air Quality Directive and emission standards for specific mobile and stationary sources for primary PM₁₀ and secondary precursor emissions.

Within the European Union, the National Emission Ceilings Directive (NEC Directive) imposes emission ceilings (or limits) for emissions of the particulate matter precursors pollutants nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide and ammonia that harm human health and the environment (the NEC Directive also sets emissions ceilings for a fourth pollutant - non-methane volatile organic compounds).

Other key EU legislation is targeted at reducing emissions of air pollutants from specific sources, for example:

• transport;
• industrial facilities and other stationary sources.

Internationally, the issue of air pollution emissions is also being addressed by the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (the LRTAP Convention) and its protocols. A key objective of the protocol is to regulate emissions on a regional basis within Europe and to protect eco-systems from transboundary pollution by setting emission reduction ceilings to be reached by 2010 for the same four pollutants as addressed in the NECD (i.e. SO₂, NO_X, NH₃ and NMVOCs). Overall for the EU Member States, the ceilings set within the Gothenburg protocol are generally either slightly less strict or the same as the emission ceilings specified in the NECD.

Targets

There are presently no European national ceilings for emissions of particulate matter.

Emissions of the secondary PM precursors SO₂, NO_X and NH₃ are covered by the EU National Emission Ceilings Directive (NECD) (2001/81/EC) and the Gothenburg protocol under the United Nations Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP Convention) (UNECE 1999). The NECD generally involves slightly stricter emission reduction targets than the Gothenburg Protocol for EU-15 Member States for 2010.

Table: 2010 Targets under the NEC Directive and the Gothenburg Protocol, in kt

^* Iceland and Turkey do not have a ceiling under either the NEC Directive or the Gothenburg protocol.

Related policy documents

• Directive 2001/81/EC, national emission ceilings
  Directive 2001/81/EC, on nation al emissions ceilings (NECD) for certain atmospheric pollutants. Emission reduction targets for the new EU10 Member States have been specified in the Treaty of Accession to the European Union 2003  [The Treaty of Accession 2003 of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia. AA2003/ACT/Annex II/en 2072] in order that they can comply with the NECD.
• UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution
  UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution.

Methodology

Methodology for indicator calculation

Methodology for gap filling

An improved gap-filling methodology was implemented in 2010 that enables a complete time series trend for the main air pollutants (eg NO_X, SO_X, NMVOC, NH₃ and CO) to be compiled. In cases where countries did not report emissions for any year, it meant that gap-filling could not be applied. For these pollutants, therefore, the aggregated data are not yet complete and are likely to underestimate true emissions. Further methodological details of the gap-filling procedure are provided in section 1.4.2 Data gaps and gap-filling of the European Union emission inventory report 1990–2009 under the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP).

Methodology references

No methodology references available.

Data specifications

EEA data references

• National emissions reported to the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP Convention) provided by United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)

Data sources in latest figures

Uncertainties

Methodology uncertainty

The use of gap-filling for when countries have not reported emissions for one of more years can potentially lead to artificial trends, but it is considered unavoidable if a comprehensive and comparable set of emissions data for European countries is required for policy analysis purposes.

Data sets uncertainty

Primary PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ data is of relatively higher uncertainty compared to emission estimates for the secondary PM precursors. The contribution of secondary particulate matter precursor emissions to PM formation varies considerably across different emission sources and geographical region (meteorology etc).

Overall scoring: (1-3, 1=no major problems, 3=major reservations)

• Relevancy: 1
• Accuracy: 2
• Comparability over time: 2
• Comparability over space: 2

Rationale uncertainty

This indicator is regularly updated by EEA and is used in state of the environment assessments. The uncertainties related to methodology and data sets are therefore of importance.