How To Clean Up Anathena

Transcription

1 Strategy of Greece in addressing air pollution Ziomas Ioannis C. NTUA Professor School of Chemical Engineering

2 Άδεια Χρήζης Το παρόν εκπαιδεσηικό σλικό σπόκειηαι ζε άδειες τρήζης Creative Commons. Για εκπαιδεσηικό σλικό, όπως εικόνες, ποσ σπόκειηαι ζε άδεια τρήζης άλλοσ ηύποσ, ασηή πρέπει να αναθέρεηαι ρηηώς.

3 Air pollution has a history The influential Hippocrates treatise Airs, Waters, Places, written about 2400 years ago, stressed out the importance of good air quality as well as pure water and a salubrious setting, in choosing settlement sites. Some decades later Aristotle set a rule in his work Athenaion Politeia, according to which manure should be placed outside the town, at least 2 km away from the town walls. At that time, already, air pollution was an everyday part of life for the 200,000 inhabitants of Athens since the emissions from houses, smelting furnaces, potteries and other preindustrial workshops darkened the sky. According to Xenophon ( BC), the smoke of lead mines in Attica was harmful to human health and during the 3rd century BC, Theophrastus (Aristotle student) wrote that smell of burning coal was disagreeable and troublesome. 3

4 O3 Βenzene, ΝΟ2 ΡΜ10 The air pollution problem in Athens 4

5 Athens nefos during the 1970 s Athens remained a small city in the millennia that followed its classical glory. However, the abrupt growth of the urban area, which started during the beginning of the last century s second half led to increased air pollution levels and the development of nephos, which means cloud, the local expression for smog during the 1970 s. At the same time similar problems appeared in Thessaloniki, the second larger city in Greece, while the other urban areas faced air pollution problems only after

6 Parhenon Industrial plumes in Athens during the 1950 s The old gas industry, located only 1.2 km from Parthenon, Athens (1970) The sources of air pollution in the urban areas were mainly industry, central heating and transport 6

7 Air pollution abatement strategy The air pollution abatement efforts started in Athens in 1973, when WHO and UNDP proposed to the Greek government a project entitled Pollution Control Program for the Athens Area due to the high air pollution levels in the city, which affected the ancient monuments and especially Parthenon at Acropolis. The first official air pollution monitoring network started operating by that time. The international project lasted till 1979 and its work was undertaken by a new directorate created for this purpose at the Ministry of Environment. Black Smoke μg/m 3 Air pollution abatement efforts reduce Black Smoke in Athens basin 7

8 Air pollution abatement strategy The main issues of the strategy: the development of monitoring mechanisms, effective implementation of legislation, precise definition of the objectives for air pollution control, inventory of the sources of air pollutants, traffic management, setting stricter emission standards for all kind of vehicles, shift to less polluting fuels and public transport. Athens monitoring network NOx traffic emissions 2001 : Establishment of the Special Service of Environmental Inspectors 65 km highway TRAM Athens METRO 8

9 Air pollution abatement strategy Major milestones 1979: Heavy oil stopped being used for central heating and was replaced by diesel. 1982: The odd-even traffic regulation system (traffic ring) was applied permanently to the central area of the Attica basin. According to the system, cars with plates ending in odd numbers can circulate in the centre of Athens on odd days, whereas cars with plates ending in even numbers can circulate on even days. 1991: A retirement plan for old vehicles was introduced in 1991 in an effort to renew the motor vehicles fleet with new cars equipped with catalytic converters. [The measure was of nationwide coverage, lasted for two years ( ) and resulted in 260,000 old cars to be retired in Greece, of which 150,000 cars in Athens]. 1994: The national inspection program for the control of emissions from motor vehicles was initiated in 1994, consisting of regular inspections of all private vehicles once per year and taxis and light trucks twice per year. 1995: Lower sulphur content in heavy oil (from 4% per weight to 3.5% per weight), in diesel oil (from 0.3% per weight to 0.2% per weight) and in unleaded gasoline (from 0.10% per weight to 0.05% per weight). At the same year natural gas was introduced in Athens and the content of benzene in gasoline was reduced from 5% per volume to 4% per volume. 9

10 Air pollution abatement strategy Major milestones 2000: Expansion of the subway system with two new lines of a total length of 18 km were constructed. The present total length of these two lines is 53.4 and they continue expanding. 2001: The new Athens International Airport (located outside Athens basin) started operating, while the operation of the old one was terminated. 2003: Lower sulphur content in heavy oil (1% per weight). 2004: The first tram line started operating (27 km). 2009: Lower sulphur content in diesel oil (0.1% per weight) present: Dramatic economic recession in the country 2011: Traffic load is reduced about 25% due to economic recession. 2012: The Athens traffic ring becomes green. Substance is not different from odd-even system, which remains "active" within the same geographical boundaries. However, the green "touch" is that it encourages the use of new technology vehicles, which are no longer subject to any restrictions. 10

11 Air Quality Improvement During the last 30 years 11

12 Air Quality Improvement During the last 30 years 12

13 Air Quality Improvement During the last 30 years 13

14 Concluding Remarks Back in 1980 s, one of the major problems in Greece, was air quality in Athens, Thessaloniki and other smaller urban areas. Several measures were proposed by that time towards air pollution reduction. From that time and until 2009 Greece has considerably reduced air pollutant emission intensities. During the last two decades, concentrations of SO2 and CO were kept below their limits throughout the country, and peak values of NO2 steadily decreased. The only exception seems to be ozone, which shows an increasing trend through the years, probably due to the decreasing NOx emissions. Greece has strengthened its inspection system, and emissions from stationary sources and fuel quality are regularly controlled. As from 2010 and until present, urban air quality has improved rather abruptly. This improvement however was not the result of the air pollution abatement measures applied but the positive consequence of the dramatic economic recession in the country. 14

15 Χρημαηοδόηηζη Το παρόν εκπαιδεσηικό σλικό έτει αναπηστθεί ζηα πλαίζια ηοσ εκπαιδεσηικού έργοσ ηοσ διδάζκονηα. Το έργο «Ανοικηά Ακαδημαϊκά Μαθήμαηα Ε.Μ.Π.» έτει τρημαηοδοηήζει μόνο ηη αναδιαμόρθωζη ηοσ εκπαιδεσηικού σλικού. Το έργο σλοποιείηαι ζηο πλαίζιο ηοσ Επιτειρηζιακού Προγράμμαηος «Εκπαίδεσζη και Δια Βίοσ Μάθηζη» και ζσγτρημαηοδοηείηαι από ηην Εσρωπαϊκή Ένωζη (Εσρωπαϊκό Κοινωνικό Ταμείο) και από εθνικούς πόροσς.