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Friends of the Earth appeals to EU Environment Ministers: protect European citizens, improve air quality
Vienna/Brussels, May 19 2006 - Friends of the Earth Europe and its Austrian
sister GLOBAL 2000 today urged the EU Environment Ministers to deliver on
improving urban air quality. The informal meeting of the EU Environment
Council is taking place in Rust, Austria on 19/20 May.
Karin Kuna, GLOBAL 2000 campaigner said: "We demand a veto against further
construction of transit routes in areas defined as regions with a high load
of particulate matter. To continue building roads in these areas threatens
the health of the local population."
"In addition, we absolutely don't want Ministers to move the goalposts on
the definition of an acceptable level of fine particulates in the
atmosphere. There is now actually growing evidence that particulates can
cause adverse health effects even when they are at lower levels than the
current threshold."
"Air pollution of this nature has a significant impact on the life
expectancy of EU citizens, shortening life by 8 months (1). EU Environment
Ministers today discuss how to improve urban quality of life in Europe. This
must surely involve protecting people from health risks like air
pollution", Kuna added.
Figures show that 45% of EU citizens are exposed to unhealthy levels of
particulate matter in the air around them, which contribute to respiratory
and cardiovascular illness (2). Road transport significantly contributes to
particulate pollution.
In addition, Friends of the Earth Europe and GLOBAL 2000 insist that all
transport sector decisions are made in the context of energy policy. Despite
the fact that the transport sector accounts for one third of the total
energy consumption of the EU (3), transport is under-represented in the
Commission's Green Paper for a European Strategy for Sustainable,
Competitive and Secure Energy.
Contact:
* Karin Kuna, Campaigner GLOBAL 2000 in Rust, Austria: 0043/69914200038
* Rosemary Hall, Communications Officer at Friends of the Earth Europe,
Brussels:
Tel: +32 2 542 6105, Mobile: +32 485 930515, rosemary.hall@foeeurope.org
*
Andreas Baur, Press Officer GLOBAL 2000, 0043/664103 24 23
Notes:
(1) Thematic Strategy on Air Pollution [SEC(2005) 1132] , available at:
http://ec.europa.eu/comm/environment/urban/home_en.htm
(2) EEA Signals 2004, available at:
http://reports.eea.europa.eu/signals-2004/en
(3) "EU Energy and Transport in Figures - Statistical pocketbook 2005",
available at:
http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/energy_transport/figures/pocketbook/2005_en.htm
Friends of the Earth Europe campaigns for sustainable and fair societies and for the protection of the environment,
unites more than 30 national organisations with thousands of local groups
and is part of the world's largest grassroots environmental network, Friends of the Earth International.
