Ireland has failed a European City Ranking for best practices for clean air in urban transport.
Out of the countries that formed part of the survey, Ireland reached 18th and failed according to the overall mark of the report.
Zurich took the top position with Copenhagen second and Vienna in third. Ireland came just ahead of Rome, Madrid and Glasgow.
According to the report, air pollution causes nearly half a million premature deaths each year in the European Union. In busy cities, air quality is usually at its worst, with high concentrations of particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone.
The average life expectancy of people living in the EU’s most polluted areas is reduced by over two years as a consequence of this.
The survey attempts to measures that have been designed and implemented in some of Europe’s most polluted cities. With the ranking, it aims to answer this question and demonstrate that local solutions to reduce air pollution exist.
The report identifies which cities are best at it, and what others can learn from them.
Although there were some areas where Ireland did improve, certain details couldn’t be retrieved about detailed emission targets.
The report also discusses the promotion of public transport and walking and cycling.
You can read the full report here.
