According to the latest figures from the World Health Organization (WHO), about 300,000 people die each year from respiratory diseases caused by low air quality, and millions more get sick. Now, European citizens may be able to claim compensation for health problems caused
failure to comply with pollution limits.
In Spain alone, more than 21,000 people are said to have died from similar causes last year (“suspended particles” are said to be partly responsible).
In an effort to curb that massive loss, a new law has been implemented that sets new, more stringent emission limits. Those are: from 25 micrograms per cubic meter per year (µg/m3) to 10 µg/m3 for PM 2.5 particulate matter, and from 40 µg/m3 to 20 µg/m3 for nitrogen dioxide (NO₂). The limit for sulfur dioxide (SO₂) is set at 20 µg/m3. Both PM 2.5 and NO₂ are the two substances identified as the most dangerous to health when it comes to city air.
These annual limits are reportedly to be reached by 2030, but they are not the actual invention of this new policy. That is: if an EU member state fails to meet these carbon emission targets, and its citizens become ill, they will be able to claim damages and be compensated if their health is harmed by non-compliance.
In addition to the compensation, the EU has been given the authority to impose fines of billions of euros on countries that do not comply with the law.
This latest round of emissions regulations aims to achieve zero emissions by 2050. If met, the European Union (EU) believes it will significantly reduce the hundreds of thousands of deaths that occur every year due to pollution.
Electrek's Take
This latest law from the European parliament is doing the right thing by putting the health and safety of its citizens before the wants and desires of corporations. Companies like BMW, think about it, his manager, Oliver Zipse, who recently described the upcoming EU ICE ban as, “no longer applicable”.
Well, it's because even though money is a manufactured thing, people's lives are real… and they're being put at risk (in more ways than one). So, you know, here's hoping everybody wakes up and does the right thing here. – however the chances of that happening seem bleak.
SOURCE | PHOTOS: European Parliament, by Motorpasión; featured image by Janak Bhatta, under Creative Commons License.
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