Europe's industrial air pollution costing hundreds of billions: report

In 2017, industrial air pollution cost society between 277 billion euros and 433 billion euros, according to a new report from the agency.

"This is equivalent to about two to three percent of EU GDP, and is higher than many individual Member States' total economic output that year," the EEA said in a statement.

While European industry has made "significant progress" in reducing its environmental and climate impact, "societal costs or 'externalities' caused by air pollution from the sector remain high."

The effects of the pollution include illness and premature death as well as the deterioration of ecosystems, habitats and crops. These have all been given an estimated monetary value in the report.

Of the 11,000-plus sites reporting pollutant emissions, 211 are responsible for half of the total costs, according to the report. These are mainly located in Germany, the UK, Poland, Spain and Italy.

Air pollution from thermal power plants -- mostly run on coal -- is the most dangerous to health and the environment, followed by emissions from heavy industry, fuel production and processing, according to the EU agency.

These are followed by lighter industries, waste management, livestock farming and wastewater treatment.

Among the 30 most polluting facilities on the continent, 24 are thermal power plants, 15 of which are in Western Europe including seven in Germany, according to the study.

The single most polluting plant is in Poland but the next four are in Germany.

Despite slight improvements, "air pollution is still a major health risk for Europeans," the agency warned last week, as the levels of fine particulate matter, ozone and nitrogen oxides are often above air quality standards.

'Alternative Nobel' awarded to environmental, community activists
Stockholm (AFP) Sept 29, 2021 - A top Swedish honour known as the "alternative Nobel Prize" was awarded Wednesday to environmental activists from Canada, Russia and India, as well as a Cameroonian fighting to prevent violence against children threatened by jihadists.

The Right Livelihood Award, which recognises environmental and international development achievements skipped by the traditional Nobels, said "this year's change-makers show that lasting change is built on communities banding together".

Canadian Indigenous rights campaigner Freda Huson of the Wet'suwet'en people was awarded "for her fearless dedication to reclaiming her people's culture and defending their land against disastrous pipeline projects."

The award organisation said that her actions have set the Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline project in northern British Columbia "back by years".

Activist Marthe Wandou, the first Cameroonian to win the prize, was awarded "for building a model of community-based child protection in the face of terrorist insurgency and gender-based violence in the Lake Chad region of Cameroon."

Vladimir Slivyak, co-chair of Russian environmental group Ecodefence, was recognised "for his defence of the environment and for helping to ignite grassroots opposition to the coal and nuclear industries in Russia."

And finally India's Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment was awarded "for their innovative legal work empowering communities to protect their resources in the pursuit of environmental democracy in India."

The Right Livelihood Award was created in 1980 by Swedish-German philatelist Jakob von Uexkull after the Nobel Foundation behind the Nobel Prizes refused to create awards honouring efforts in the fields of the environment and international development.

The award consists of a cash prize of one million Swedish kronor ($114,000) for each laureate, meant to support the recipient's work.

Previous prize-winners include US whistleblower Edward Snowden, Congolese gynaecologist and Nobel laureate Denis Mukwege, and Greta Thunberg, who had already become an icon of the youth climate change movement at the age of 16 when she won in 2019.