TVLInk Europe, 50 years of protecting Europe's environment

Giving Europe more breathing space

Air pollution has been one of Europe’s main concerns since the late 1970s. Over the last few decades, the rapid growth in industry and increased reliance on cars and public transport has contributed to a rapid decline in air quality, from smog and acid rain to asthma and other respiratory diseases.

This news report looks at both the history of EU policies and objectives, including crucial Europe-wide legislation that has seen sulphur dioxide levels decrease by a staggering 80% over the last 40 years, to The Black Triangle project, launched in 1991 to combat pollution levels in Poland, the Czech Republic and East Germany, and the critical work undertaken with the car industry to radically cut down on emissions.

Europe is looking squarely to the future. In the last 10 years, new medical research has revealed that around 370,000 people will die prematurely every year from health-related problems associated with air pollution. This has prompted the EU to launch a new strategy on air, with the aim of reducing deaths from air pollution by around 45% by 2020.