Air Quality : Information to the Public and Reporting Frameworks Frans Fierens Belgian Interregional Environment Agency (VMM - IRCEL) [email protected]

Air Quality :Information to the Public and

Reporting Frameworks

Frans Fierens

Belgian Interregional Environment Agency (VMM - IRCEL)

[email protected]

IRCEL – CELINE ?

• Belgian Interregional Environment Agency• Till 1994 : Air Quality assessment/measurements

were Federal Competence• 1994 : Agreement between the three Regions for

cooperation via IRCEL-CELINE• Main Tasks :

• Interregional Calibration Bench• Interregional Air Quality Database• Interregional Data Processing Centre (IDPC)• Contact with EU-COM and international organisations (EEA,

EMEP, UN, …)• Experts in EU and other regional, national and international

AQ working groups, …

Information to the Public

Information to the Public

• EU “cleaner Air for Europe” Directive 2008/50/ECArticle 26

Public information

1. Member States shall ensure that the public as well as appropriate

organisations such as environmental organisations, consumer

organisations, organisations representing the interests of

sensitive populations, other relevant health-care bodies and the

relevant industrial federations are informed, adequately and in

good time, of the following:

(a) ambient air quality in accordance with Annex XVI;

(b)…

Public Information 2008/50/EC - Annex XVI

1. Real-time AQ information – see Annex XVI – continuously

• …up-to-date information … routinely made available to the public.

• ambient concentrations … as average values according to the appropriate averaging period

• …indicate any levels exceeding air quality• Information on ambient concentrations of SO2, NO2,

particulate matter (at least PM10), O3 and CO shall be updated on at least a daily basis, and, wherever practicable, information shall be updated on an hourly basis.

INTERNET


2. Real-time AQ information – see Annex XVI – Exceedances of info/alert thresholds

• Member States shall ensure that timely information about actual or predicted exceedances of alert thresholds, and any information threshold is provided to

the public. • Information thresholds : only for Ozone (180 µg/m³ hourly mean)• Alert thresholds : Ozone (240 µg/m³), SO2 (600 µg/m³), NO2

(400 µg/m3) : 3 consecutive hours = short term measures (for ozone … when appropriate)

• NO info/alert thresholds for Particulate Matter (PM10, PM2.5)


2. Real-time AQ information – see Annex XVI – Exceedances of info/alert thresholds

• Information of the public (written and audio-visual press, eg. weather forecasters)

• Information of the responsible ministries (Environment, Health, Transport, …) and policy makers

• Neighbouring countries (NL, FR, DE and LU)

Warning (or Alert) Bulletins send by e-mail

Public Information 2008/50/EC – Article 24

Short-term action plans

Where, in a given zone or agglomeration, there is a risk that the levels of pollutants will exceed one or more of the alert thresholds specified in Annex XII, Member States shall draw up action plans indicating the measures to be taken in the short term in order to reduce the risk or duration of such an exceedance. Where this risk applies to one or more limit values or target values specified in Annexes VII, XI and XIV, Member States may, where appropriate, draw up such short-term action plans.


• Belgium :• Wintersmog action plans • Forecasted PM10 > 70 µg/m³ for two

concecutive days -> traffic measures• Flanders : speed limit from 120 -> 90 km/u on

certain motorways• Brussels : speed limits (fase 1), traffic reduction

based on number plate(fase 2), total traffic ban (fase 3)

• Wallonia : speed limit from 120 -> 90 km/u on some motorways + emission reductions Industry


Reporting Frameworks

Reporting Obbligations

• Air Quality • Annual Reporting on AQ• EoI – DEM• Montly and Summer Ozone reporting

• Air Emissions• NEC• LCP• LRTAP • UNFCCC (Greenhouse Gases)

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Overview reporting : Air Quality Assessment (1/3)

2004/461/EC : Questionnaire for annual reporting on ambient air quality assessment and management

• annual reporting under 2008/50/EC for SO2; NO2/NOx; PM10; PM2,5; O3, Pb, VOC

• has been updated recently to report pollutants of the 4DD : As, Cd, Ni and BaP (mandatory in 2009)

•EIONET Priority Data flow

Deadline : annually by 30 September

Via Central Data Repository (CDR) - cdr.eionet.europa.eu/

2004/461/EC : Questionnaire for annual reporting on ambient air quality assessment and management

Excel Templates … lots of sheets

2009 : testing “web-browser” based reporting (via CDR) to replace Excel


• European database Air Quality Data : AIRBASE

• Tool: Data Exchange Module (DEM) : air-climate.eionet.europa.eu/country_tools/aq/aq-dem/

• EIONET Priority Data flow

• Deadline : annually by 30 September • Via Central Data Repository (CDR) :

cdr.eionet.europa.eu/

Exchange of Information (EoI) on Air Quality (AQ) data : old 97/101/EC – now integrated in 2008/50/EC

EOI - DEM

Not only Exceedances of limit/target values !

All measured AQ (+ meta) data !

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2002/3/EC : Monthly Ozone ExceedancesSummer Ozone Exceedances• April – September (not validated data)

• “Full Summer” Ozone Report (validated data)

• EiONET Priority Data flow

Deadline :

- Monthly : by the end of following month (eg. for April = 31 May)

- via“Excel” sheets

-“Full” summer : annually by 31 October

- Via Central Data Repository (CDR) - cdr.eionet.europa.eu/

Ozone : near-real time reporting

http://www.eea.europa.eu/maps/ozone/welcome

In 2008 : Can near-real time AQ info be used to replace ozone reporting

2009 (?) :Extend to NO2, PM, …

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Overview reporting : Air Emissions (1/5)

2001/81/EC : National Emission Ceilings for SO2, NOx, NH3 and VOC :

• Reporting of national emission inventories and emission projections for 2010, using the methodologies agreed upon by the Convention on

Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution and using the joint EMEP/CORINAIR guidebook in preparing these inventories and projections

• “Excel” tables• EIONET Priority Data flow

• Deadline: annually by 31 December• Via Central Data Repository (CDR) :


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2001/80/EC : limitation of air emissions from Large Combustion Plants (thermal input ≥ 50MW):

Summary of the results of plant-by-plant inventory, every three years within 12 months from the end of the three-year period considered. Commission may request yearly plant by plant data (for each plant total amount of energy input by fuel type: biomass, other solid fuel, liquid fuel, natural gas, other gas).

• Deadline : 3-yearly; next report by 31 December 2010• Via Central Data Repository (CDR) :


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2001/80/EC : Opted-Out plants : Report on existing plants declared for eligibility under Article 4.4

annually reporting on those existing plants declared for eligibility under article 4(4) along with the record of the used and unused time allowed for the plants remaining operational life.

• Deadline: annually before 1 January• Via Central Data Repository (CDR) :


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UNECE Air Emission Reporting - CLRTAP Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution

• broad framework for co-operative action on air pollution• Council Decision 81/462/EEC• EIONET Priority Data flow • Deadline: annually by 15 February (“Excel” NFR tables)

and annually by 15 March (IIR “Informative Inventory Report “report)

• Via Central Data Repository (CDR) - cdr.eionet.europa.eu/ and UNECE Secretariat


• Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting Obligation• EU-COM (directive 280/2004/EC )

• “Excel” CRF tables• 15/1 : “initial” submission• 15/3 : “final” submission

• UNFCCC• “Reporter” Software • 15/4

EIONET Priority Data flow

Via Central Data Repository (CDR) - cdr.eionet.europa.eu and UNFCCC FTP server

Data Flow “scores”

Data Flow “scores”

Thanks !

More info :

http://www.irceline.be

http://www.vmm.be

http://www.leefmilieubrussel.be

http://environnement.wallonie.be/

http://www.eea.europa.eu/(and lots of others …)

Documents

Air Quality : Information to the Public and Reporting Frameworks Frans Fierens Belgian Interregional Environment Agency (VMM - IRCEL) [email protected]