Portal de Murcia
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The million and a half inhabitants of the Region of Murcia have breathed air polluted by ozone during the spring and summer of 2016. The report on ozone pollution Ecologists in Action concludes that the entire population and territory have been murciano exposed to this contaminant levels that exceed recommended by the World Health Organization.
The weather situation, climate change, the rise in traffic, fraud emissions from cars and government commitment to dirty energy at the expense of renewables, among the causes of a problem that affects structurally the health of citizenship, but also to crops and natural areas.
The report prepared by Ecologists in Action analyzes the data collected in 455 official ozone measuring stations installed throughout the Spanish State, 8 of which are located in the region of Murcia.
Among the findings of the report include the following:
- Tropospheric ozone is an air pollutant that each year affects more population and territory.
During 2016 have substantially increased their levels above those of 2014 and 2015. The pollution generated from the cities of Murcia and Cartagena and the industrial zone of the Valley of tailings, with the refinery and the three plants combined cycle installed there, not only affects those areas, but also extends the territory affecting more remote and rural areas in the form of tropospheric ozone.
- The report of Ecologists in Action is based on the recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), more restrictive than the current legal value, according to which the air polluted by ozone has affected in 2016 to all value the population and territory of the Region of Murcia.
- If you consider the target value set by the regulations, laxer than the WHO recommendation, the population has breathed polluted air above the legal target is 230,000 people, 16% of the total, in the north, extended about two-thirds of the regional territory.
- Ozone is a very complex pollutant does not come directly from the exhaust pipes or chimneys.
It is formed when they react in the air certain pollutants emitted by road traffic, large thermal power plants and certain industrial activities, and the precise reaction of solar radiation, so it is more frequent in times of year with long, sunny days pollutant.
Because of these characteristics, ozone affects during the spring and summer especially to suburban and rural areas influenced by urban and industrial pollution.
- Although ozone pollution in 2016 is due in the first instance of the weather situation, characterized by high atmospheric stability and a strong summer heat, its recent development is related to the increasing trend in summer average temperatures and situations extreme weather (heat waves), a result of climate change.
- Ozone pollution should be addressed as a health problem of the first order.
The European Environment Agency estimated 1,800 premature deaths in the Spanish State by exposure to ozone pollution levels as those recorded in the region of Murcia during 2016. The most affected are children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with chronic respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
- The health costs of ozone pollution represent about 5,000 million euros per year, 0.33% of Spanish GDP, according to the World Bank, without considering the cost of the damage on crops and natural ecosystems.
- The information to the public by the government is neither adequate nor adjusted to the severity of the problem.
- Plans to Improve Air Quality to reduce pollution are required under current legislation.
The Improvement Plan Air Quality in the Region of Murcia, approved by the Government of Murcia in 2015, does not contain specific measures for reducing tropospheric ozone, so Ecologists in Action has demanded the Government to develop so urgent in the three areas that violated the legal target of ozone in the period 2013-2015: Centro, Murcia City and North [1] (see map areas).
- The main courses of action to reduce air pollution by ozone in the Region of Murcia are the reduction of motorized traffic, reducing the need for mobility and the promotion of public transport.
It is also necessary to provide facilities to pedestrian traffic and cycling in cities.
And the widespread adoption of industry best available techniques, the replacement of organic solvents with water and the drastic reduction of electricity generation in power plants, relying on renewable sources.
- Attempting to overcome the lack of administrative information on this existing problem in the Region of Murcia, Ecologists in Action has developed during the summer of 2016 an awareness campaign on ozone pollution in the region of Murcia, with holding an information day on 22 September in Murcia city, and the installation of a traveling exhibition on the problem in the towns of Eagles, Caravaca, Murcia and Lorca, accompanied by lectures and other outreach activities.
All information on the campaign is available at www.ecologistasenaccion.org/ozono
Source: Ecologistas en Acción
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