EU citizens can sue over health problems caused by missed emissions targets

According to the latest estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 300,000 people die each year from respiratory illness caused by poor air quality, with millions more falling ill. Now, European citizens might be able to claim compensation for health problems caused by 
failure to comply with pollution limits.

In Spain alone, more than 21,000 people were said to have died from similar causes last year (with “suspended particles” being called out as the specific culprit).

In an effort to trim those heavy losses, new legislation has been put into effect that sets new, more stringent emission limits. Those being: from 25 micrograms per cubic metre 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 sulphur dioxide (SO₂) is set at 20 µg/m3. Both PM 2.5 and NO₂ are two of the substances identified as being most harmful to health when it comes to city air.

These annual limits reportedly must be met by 2030, but they’re not the real innovation of this new policy. That is: if the EU member nation fails to meet these emissions goals, and its residents get sick, they’ll be able to claim damages and be compensated if their health is damaged by non-compliance.

In addition to that compensation, the EU has been given authority to impose multi-million euro fines on countries for not complying with this regulation.

This latest round of emissions regulations aim 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 each year due to pollution.

Electrek’s Take

This latest legislation from the European parliament does the right thing by putting the health and safety of its citizens ahead of the wants and desires of the the corporations. Corporations like BMW, come to think of it, whose CEO, Oliver Zipse, recently described the upcoming EU ICE ban as, “no longer realistic.”

It is, though, because while money is a made up thing, human lives are real … and they’re being put at risk (in more ways than one). So, you know, here’s hoping everyone wakes up and does the right thing here. – however bleak the odds of that happening may appear.

SOURCE | IMAGES: European Parliament, via Motorpasión; featured image by Janak Bhatta, on Creative Commons License.

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