scholarly journals Od dyrektyw w sprawie jakości powietrza do Europejskiego Zielonego Ładu

2021 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 111-129
Author(s):  
Joanna Stryjek
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Growth Strategy ◽  
Financial Instruments ◽  
Eu Policy ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Quality Policy ◽  
The Eu

In Poland, the problem of air pollution has not been given due attention for a long time. As a consequence, Poland is classified as one of the countries with the highest level of air pollution in Europe. Due to the fact that the problem is of a transboundary nature, air quality policy constitutes an important element of the EU’s supranational policy. The aim of the article is to analyze the impact of the EU policy on counteracting the problem of air pollution by Poland and to assess whether the problem can be effectively solved thanks to the implementation of the new growth strategy – the European Green Deal. The research results show that Poland’s membership in the EU has had the greatest impact on the process of building public awareness of the threat posed by air pollution. Despite the generally low effectiveness of the policy pursued so far, the new EU growth strategy (together with the financial instruments supporting its implementation) offers a real opportunity to significantly reduce the level of air pollution in Poland.

European Union's Initiatives in the Struggle against the Propaganda of Terrorism

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 15-20
Author(s):  
Nataliia Karpchuk ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Member State ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Prevention Policy ◽  
Good Practices ◽  
Eu Policy ◽  
Objective Information ◽  
Policy Tool ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Eu

In the article, the author analyzes the EU initiatives that prevent radicalization, reduce the impact of destructive content, and increase public awareness and the ability to distinguish objective information from fakes and disinformation. The author emphasizes that the EU’s struggle against radicalization, extremism and terrorism is based on four “pillars”: 1) prevention, 2) protection, 3) persecution and 4) response. Each Member State develops its own prevention policy, but the Commission provides some regulatory framework for the exchange of experiences and good practices, so special attention is paid to the study of the Radicalization Awareness Network (RAN), which is an EU policy tool because it is aimed at developing programs of deradicalization and rehabilitation, assistance to teachers and youth in combating the causes of radicalization. The author argues that only the common efforts of the EU institutions, Member States, partner countries, media and technological organizations can effectively struggle against the propaganda of extremism and terrorism.

scholarly journals Forty years of improvements in European air quality: the role of EU policy–industry interplay

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (14) ◽  
pp. 20245-20285 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Crippa ◽  
G. Janssens-Maenhout ◽  
F. Dentener ◽  
D. Guizzardi ◽  
K. Sindelarova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Fuel Consumption ◽  
Emission Control ◽  
Fuel Oil ◽  
Reduced Form ◽  
Current Technology ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Eu

Abstract. The EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) v4.3 global anthropogenic emissions inventory of several gaseous (SO2, NOx, CO, non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) and NH3) and particulate (PM10, PM2.5, black and organic carbon (BC and OC)) air pollutants for the period 1970–2010 is used to develop retrospective air pollution emission scenarios to quantify the roles and contributions of changes in fuels consumption, technology, end-of-pipe emission reduction measures and their resulting impact on health and crop yields. This database presents changes in activity data, fuels and air pollution abatement technology for the past 4 decades, using international statistics and following guidelines for bottom-up emission inventory at the Tier 1 and Tier 2 levels with region-specific default values. With two further retrospective scenarios we assess (1) the impact of the technology and end-of-pipe (EOP) reduction measures in the European Union (EU) by considering a stagnation of technology with constant emission factors from 1970 and with no further abatement measures and improvement in European emissions standards, but fuel consumption occurring at historical pace, and (2) the impact of increased fuel consumption by considering unchanged energy use with constant fuel consumption since 1970, but technological development and end-of-pipe reductions. Our scenario analysis focuses on the three most important and most regulated sectors (power generation, the manufacturing industry and road transport), which are subject of multi-pollutant EU Air Quality regulations. If technology and European EOP reduction measures had stagnated at 1970 levels, EU air quality in 2010 would have suffered from 129 % higher SO2, 71 % higher NOx and 69 % higher PM2.5 emissions, demonstrating the large role of technology in reducing emissions in 2010. However, if fuel consumption had remained constant starting in 1970, the EU would have benefited from current technology and emission control standards, with reductions in NOx by even 13 % more. Such further savings are not observed for SO2 and PM2.5. If the EU consumed the same amount of fuels as in 1970 but with the current technology and emission control standards, then the emissions of SO2 and PM2.5 would be 42 % respectively 10 % higher. This scenario shows the importance for air quality of abandoning heavy residual fuel oil and shifting fuel types (from, e.g., coal to gas) in the EU. A reduced-form TM5-FASST (Fast Screening Scenario Tool based on the global chemical Transport Model 5) is applied to calculate regional and global levels of aerosol and ozone concentrations and to assess the impact of air quality improvements on human health and crop yield loss, showing substantial impacts of export of EU technologies and standards to other world regions.

scholarly journals Functional ANOVA approaches for detecting changes in air pollution during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Acal ◽  
Ana M. Aguilera ◽  
Annalina Sarra ◽  
Adelia Evangelista ◽  
Tonio Di Battista ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Functional Data ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Functional Principal Component Analysis ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Pm 10 ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Monitoring Stations

AbstractFaced with novel coronavirus outbreak, the most hard-hit countries adopted a lockdown strategy to contrast the spread of virus. Many studies have already documented that the COVID-19 control actions have resulted in improved air quality locally and around the world. Following these lines of research, we focus on air quality changes in the urban territory of Chieti-Pescara (Central Italy), identified as an area of criticality in terms of air pollution. Concentrations of $$\hbox {NO}_{{2}}$$ NO 2 , $$\hbox {PM}_{{10}}$$ PM 10 , $$\hbox {PM}_{2.5}$$ PM 2.5 and benzene are used to evaluate air pollution changes in this Region. Data were measured by several monitoring stations over two specific periods: from 1st February to 10 th March 2020 (before lockdown period) and from 11st March 2020 to 18 th April 2020 (during lockdown period). The impact of lockdown on air quality is assessed through functional data analysis. Our work makes an important contribution to the analysis of variance for functional data (FANOVA). Specifically, a novel approach based on multivariate functional principal component analysis is introduced to tackle the multivariate FANOVA problem for independent measures, which is reduced to test multivariate homogeneity on the vectors of the most explicative principal components scores. Results of the present study suggest that the level of each pollutant changed during the confinement. Additionally, the differences in the mean functions of all pollutants according to the location and type of monitoring stations (background vs traffic), are ascribable to the $$\hbox {PM}_{{10}}$$ PM 10 and benzene concentrations for pre-lockdown and during-lockdown tenure, respectively. FANOVA has proven to be beneficial to monitoring the evolution of air quality in both periods of time. This can help environmental protection agencies in drawing a more holistic picture of air quality status in the area of interest.

scholarly journals The interplay between environmental exposures and COVID-19 risks in the health of children

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter D. Sly ◽  
Brittany A. Trottier ◽  
Catherine M. Bulka ◽  
Stephania A. Cormier ◽  
Julius Fobil ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Disease Severity ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Environmental Exposures ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background An unusual feature of SARS-Cov-2 infection and the COVID-19 pandemic is that children are less severely affected than adults. This is especially paradoxical given the epidemiological links between poor air quality and increased COVID-19 severity in adults and that children are generally more vulnerable than adults to the adverse consequences of air pollution. Objectives To identify gaps in knowledge about the factors that protect children from severe SARS-Cov-2 infection even in the face of air pollution, and to develop a transdisciplinary research strategy to address these gaps. Methods An international group of researchers interested in children’s environmental health was invited to identify knowledge gaps and to develop research questions to close these gaps. Discussion Key research questions identified include: what are the effects of SAR-Cov-2 infection during pregnancy on the developing fetus and child; what is the impact of age at infection and genetic susceptibility on disease severity; why do some children with COVID-19 infection develop toxic shock and Kawasaki-like symptoms; what are the impacts of toxic environmental exposures including poor air quality, chemical and metal exposures on innate immunity, especially in the respiratory epithelium; what is the possible role of a “dirty” environment in conveying protection – an example of the “hygiene hypothesis”; and what are the long term health effects of SARS-Cov-2 infection in early life. Conclusion A concerted research effort by a multidisciplinary team of scientists is needed to understand the links between environmental exposures, especially air pollution and COVID-19. We call for specific research funding to encourage basic and clinical research to understand if/why exposure to environmental factors is associated with more severe disease, why children appear to be protected, and how innate immune responses may be involved. Lessons learned about SARS-Cov-2 infection in our children will help us to understand and reduce disease severity in adults, the opposite of the usual scenario.

scholarly journals Scalable kernel-based SVM classification algorithm on imbalance air quality data for proficient healthcare

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shwet Ketu ◽  
Pramod Kumar Mishra
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Class Imbalance ◽  
Imbalanced Data ◽  
Classification Algorithm ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Pollution Level ◽  
Classification Problems ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
The Impact

AbstractIn the last decade, we have seen drastic changes in the air pollution level, which has become a critical environmental issue. It should be handled carefully towards making the solutions for proficient healthcare. Reducing the impact of air pollution on human health is possible only if the data is correctly classified. In numerous classification problems, we are facing the class imbalance issue. Learning from imbalanced data is always a challenging task for researchers, and from time to time, possible solutions have been developed by researchers. In this paper, we are focused on dealing with the imbalanced class distribution in a way that the classification algorithm will not compromise its performance. The proposed algorithm is based on the concept of the adjusting kernel scaling (AKS) method to deal with the multi-class imbalanced dataset. The kernel function's selection has been evaluated with the help of weighting criteria and the chi-square test. All the experimental evaluation has been performed on sensor-based Indian Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) dataset. The proposed algorithm with the highest accuracy of 99.66% wins the race among all the classification algorithms i.e. Adaboost (59.72%), Multi-Layer Perceptron (95.71%), GaussianNB (80.87%), and SVM (96.92). The results of the proposed algorithm are also better than the existing literature methods. It is also clear from these results that our proposed algorithm is efficient for dealing with class imbalance problems along with enhanced performance. Thus, accurate classification of air quality through our proposed algorithm will be useful for improving the existing preventive policies and will also help in enhancing the capabilities of effective emergency response in the worst pollution situation.

scholarly journals Gender Differences in Association between Air Pollution and Daily Mortality in the Capital of the Green Lungs of Poland–Population-Based Study with 2,953,000 Person-Years of Follow-Up

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 2351
Author(s):  
Łukasz Kuźma ◽  
Krzysztof Struniawski ◽  
Szymon Pogorzelski ◽  
Hanna Bachórzewska-Gajewska ◽  
Sławomir Dobrzycki
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Gender Differences ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
World Health ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Daily Mortality ◽  
Male Population ◽  
The Impact

(1) Introduction: air pollution is considered to be one of the main risk factors for public health. According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), air pollution contributes to the premature deaths of approximately 500,000 citizens of the European Union (EU), including almost 5000 inhabitants of Poland every year. (2) Purpose: to assess the gender differences in the impact of air pollution on the mortality in the population of the city of Bialystok—the capital of the Green Lungs of Poland. (3) Materials and Methods: based on the data from the Central Statistical Office, the number—and causes of death—of Białystok residents in the period 2008–2017 were analyzed. The study utilized the data recorded by the Provincial Inspectorate for Environmental Protection station and the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management during the analysis period. Time series regression with Poisson distribution was used in statistical analysis. (4) Results: A total of 34,005 deaths had been recorded, in which women accounted for 47.5%. The proportion of cardiovascular-related deaths was 48% (n = 16,370). An increase of SO2 concentration by 1-µg/m3 (relative risk (RR) 1.07, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02–1.12; p = 0.005) and a 10 °C decrease of temperature (RR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01–1.05; p = 0.005) were related to an increase in the number of daily deaths. No gender differences in the impact of air pollution on mortality were observed. In the analysis of the subgroup of cardiovascular deaths, the main pollutant that was found to have an effect on daily mortality was particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 μm or less (PM2.5); the RR for 10-µg/m3 increase of PM2.5 was 1.07 (95% CI 1.02–1.12; p = 0.01), and this effect was noted only in the male population. (5) Conclusions: air quality and atmospheric conditions had an impact on the mortality of Bialystok residents. The main air pollutant that influenced the mortality rate was SO2, and there were no gender differences in the impact of this pollutant. In the male population, an increased exposure to PM2.5 concentration was associated with significantly higher cardiovascular mortality. These findings suggest that improving air quality, in particular, even with lower SO2 levels than currently allowed by the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, may benefit public health. Further studies on this topic are needed, but our results bring questions whether the recommendations concerning acceptable concentrations of air pollutants should be stricter, or is there a safe concentration of SO2 in the air at all.

Assessing the impact of the New Athens airport to urban air quality with contemporary air pollution models

1997 ◽  
Vol 31 (10) ◽  
pp. 1497-1511 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Moussiopoulos ◽  
P. Sahm ◽  
K. Karatzas ◽  
S. Papalexiou ◽  
A. Karagiannidis
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Urban Air Quality ◽  
Urban Air ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Air Pollution Models

scholarly journals THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 QUARANTINE MEASURES ON THE LEVEL OF AIR POLLUTION IN THE SHCHUCHINSK-BOROVSKAYA RESORT AREA

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maikanov Balgabay ◽  
Auteleeva Laura
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Sulfur Dioxide ◽  
Maximum Permissible Concentration ◽  
Atmospheric Air ◽  
Standard Index ◽  
High Degree ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Very High

In this study, changes in air quality were quantified before and during the introduction of COVID-19 quarantine measures in the Shchuchinsk-Borovskaya resort area. During 2020, there were only 49 resolutions "On strengthening restrictive quarantine measures in the territory of the Akmola region"on the territory of the resort zone. The maximum permissible concentration of sulfur dioxide in the atmospheric air has been exceeded. We have revealed that in the entire territory of the resort area for 2018-2019. atmospheric air pollution, according to the standard index, was elevated and high (3.38 to 6.4), according to the highest frequency (16.6 to 100%), there was a very high degree of pollution, and in 2020, the indicators of the standard index and the highest frequency were within the norm.

scholarly journals Ambient Air Quality Measurement with Low-Cost Optical and Electrochemical Sensors: An Evaluation of Continuous Year-Long Operation

Environments ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 114
Author(s):  
Jiří Bílek ◽  
Ondřej Bílek ◽  
Petr Maršolek ◽  
Pavel Buček
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Sensor Network ◽  
Electrochemical Sensors ◽  
Reference Method ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Sensor Data ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Concentration Changes ◽  
The Impact

Sensor technology is attractive to the public due to its availability and ease of use. However, its usage raises numerous questions. The general trustworthiness of sensor data is widely discussed, especially with regard to accuracy, precision, and long-term signal stability. The VSB-Technical University of Ostrava has operated an air quality sensor network for more than two years, and its large sets of valid results can help in understanding the limitations of sensory measurement. Monitoring is focused on the concentrations of dust particles, NO2, and ozone to verify the impact of newly planted greenery on the reduction in air pollution. The sensor network currently covers an open field on the outskirts of Ostrava, between Liberty Ironworks and the nearby ISKO1650 monitoring station, where some of the worst air pollution levels in the Czech Republic are regularly measured. In the future, trees should be allowed to grow over the sensors, enabling assessment of the green barrier effect on air pollution. As expected, the service life of the sensors varies from 1 to 3 years; therefore, checks are necessary both prior to the measurement and regularly during operation, verifying output stability and overall performance. Results of the PMx sensory measurements correlated well with the reference method. Concentration values measured by NO2 sensors correlated poorly with the reference method, although timeline plots of concentration changes were in accordance. We suggest that a comparison of timelines should be used for air quality evaluations, rather than particular values. The results showed that the sensor measurements are not yet suitable to replace the reference methods, and dense sensor networks proved useful and robust tools for indicative air quality measurements (AQM).

scholarly journals Waste production and waste management in the EU

2021 ◽  
Vol 900 (1) ◽  
pp. 012024
Author(s):  
S Matušková ◽  
M Taušová ◽  
L Domaracká ◽  
P Tauš
Keyword(s):  
Waste Management ◽  
Living Standards ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Material Resources ◽  
Waste Production ◽  
The World ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Constant Growth ◽  
The Eu

Abstract The constant growth of the population increases the demands on raw material resources, which is reflected in increasing pressure on the environment. The impact of mankind on the environment is nowadays an increasingly acute problem, which is being addressed by the governments of individual countries, not only the EU, through legislative interventions. The most addressed areas are the issue of production and subsequent waste management. Waste production in the world has been growing for a long time, which causes considerable problems for individual countries. Each country is currently looking for the optimal way of waste management to reuse it as secondary raw material. In this paper, we analysed twenty-eight EU countries in terms of production and waste management and found significant differences between countries. We looked for factors that lead to different results between countries in the production and management of waste, based on the population, the size of the country to the indicators of living standards, and legislation applicable to those countries.

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