The EU Healthy Air Coalition has sent a letter to members of the European Parliament,…
Swift and significant emission cuts by Europe’s top polluters under new rules would boost health and reduce healthcare costs.
Brussels, 13 December 2017 – Tomorrow, ministers at the 15th ministerial council meeting of the Energy Community in Kosovo will adopt new rules for emission limits for coal power plants in the Western Balkans (as part of the transposition of the EU’s Industrial Emissions Directive into national law). The Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) calls on political leaders to put the countries on track for swift and significant reductions of harmful air pollutants, ahead of the 2028 full implementation deadline. HEAL’s new briefing (1) explains why doing so would bring huge benefits for health and dramatically reduce health costs both in the Western Balkans and the EU.
“Implementing the stricter EU rules on air pollution from coal power plants is a big challenge for the Western Balkan countries – but it is an even bigger opportunity from a health perspective”, explains Vlatka Matkovic Puljic, Health and Energy Officer at HEAL. “Cutting down air emissions from coal power plants will reduce heart and lung disease, cancer, stroke, asthma and even reduce the risk for diabetes. Poor air quality affects especially the most vulnerable in society, children, even in utero, pregnant women, older people and patients who are already ill, so political leaders should not waste any time in improving the air that we breathe.”
As of 1 January 2018 the countries of the Western Balkans (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia) need to start reducing their emissions from large combustion plants (2) and align national laws and rules with EU requirements. This process stems from the Energy Community rules, which require coal plants currently operating in the Western Balkans to cut their emissions gradually from 2018 until the end of 2027.
The Western Balkan countries are home to the most polluting coal power plants in the whole of Europe. Annual emissions from the 16 plants (16 GW) in the Western Balkans are almost as high as from the 296 existing plants (156 GW) in the EU-28. Coal power plants in the Western Balkans lead the list of Europe’s top polluters for emissions of particulate matter (PM 2.5) and sulphur dioxide (SO2) and are therefore among the most health harming coal plants. HEAL calculations show that cutting down the air pollution from these coal power plants could result in 6,460 lives saved each year, as well as saved health costs of up to 2,724 million Euro.
In order to achieve the necessary progress and reap the huge health savings, HEAL recommends for Western Balkan governments to start setting up pollution control measures in 2018. They should go for an ambitious path to reduce emissions, beyond what is required under the new rules. In addition, they should adopt national emissions reduction plans if not done yet. Finally, HEAL urges Western Balkan leaders to move towards a coal phase out, by closing all old coal plants and not building new ones, and ending all public financing for coal.
“There is a need for a heightened sense of urgency,” says Dragana Mileusnic, the Energy Policy coordinator for Southeast Europe at Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe, “Delays in phasing out coal in the Balkans do more than threaten public health across the continent – they would also choke the region’s climate ambitions and have a knock-on effect on delaying its inevitable transition beyond coal and onto development tracks powered by renewable energy.”
Ioana Ciuta, Energy Coordinator at CEE Bankwatch Network concluded: “The snowball of evidence of air pollution and health impacts from coal combustion and mining keeps growing and local communities are more determined than ever to fight for their right to a healthy life and environment. It’s high time efficient pollution controls are in place in the Western Balkans’ old fleet, and any plans for new coal capacities off the table”.
Notes to the editor:
(1) HEAL Briefing: Boosting Health by Improving Air Quality in the Balkans
(2) Under Large Combustion Plants Directive (2001/80/EC) and Industrial Emissions Directive 2010/75/EU – to be achieved at the latest by 2028
Contacts:
Vlatka Matkovic Puljic, Health and Energy Officer Balkans region, vlatka@env-health.org, Tel +32 2 234 36 46
Elke Zander, Communications and Media Coordinator, elke@env-health.org, Tel +32 2 234 36 47
Brzo i značajno smanjenje emisije najvećih zagađivača u Evropi po novim pravilima povećalo bi kvalitet zdravlja i smanjilo troškove zdravstvene zaštite
Brisel, 13.12.2017 – U susret 15-oj sednici Ministarskog savjeta Energetske zajednice na Kosovu gde će se donijeti odluka o početku sprovođenja propisa iz Direktive o evropskim industrijskim emisijama (IED) u zemljama Balkana, Alijansa za zdravlje i životnu sredinu (HEAL) u svom novom rezimeu ističe hitnu potrebu za usklađivanjem postrojenja za sagorevanje uglja na Zapadnom Balkanu sa propisima Energetske zajednice. Ovakvo djelovanje značajno bi doprinjelo zdravlju i drastično smanjilo troškove zdravstva kako na Zapadnom Balkanu tako i u EU.
“Sprovođenje strožijih EU propisa o zagađivanju vazduha iz termoelektrana na ugalj predstavlja veliki izazov za zemlje Zapadnog Balkana – ali to je još bolja prilika iz zdravstvene perspektive“, objašnjava Vlatka Matković Puljić, savjetnica za zdravlje i energiju u HEAL-u. “Smanjenje zagađenja vazduha iz termoelektrana na ugalj smanjilo bi rizik od srčanih i plućnih bolesti, kancera, moždanog udara, astme i čak dijabetesa, koji kao i brojne opasnosti po zdravlje životne sredine naročito pogađaju najugroženije, poput nerođenih beba, djece, trudnica, starijih osoba i pacijenata sa hroničnim stanjima.”
Od 1. januara 2018. zemlje Zapadnog Balkana (Bosna i Hercegovina, Kosovo, Makedonija, Crna Gora i Srbija) treba da započnu smanjivanje svojih emisija iz velikih postrojenja za sagorjevanje (1) i usklade nacionalne zakone i propise sa EU. Ovaj proces proizilazi iz propisa Energetske zajednice koja zahtjeva da postrojenja za proizvodnju uglja koja trenutno rade na Zapadnom Balkanu postepeno smanjuju svoje emisije od 2018. do kraja 2027. godine. Ovi propisi nisu toliko strogi kao najnoviji propisi za velika postrojenja za sagorevanje unutar EU – tzv. LCP “BREF” (Referentni dokument za najbolje raspoložive tehnike za velika postrojenja za sagorevanje) koji su stupili na snagu u EU avgusta 2017. godine.
Zemlje Zapadnog Balkana su izvor najvećih zagađivača među termoelektranama na ugalj u čitavoj Evropi. Godišnje emisije iz 16 postrojenja (16 GW) na Zapadnom Balkanu su skoro visoke kao kod 296 postojećih postrojenja (156 GW) u EU-28. Termoelektrane na ugalj na Zapadnom Balkanu takođe su među najtoksičnijim u Evropi i uglavnom su prisutne na listama 10 najvećih zagađivača za PM2.5, SO2 i NOx. HEAL je izračunao da smanjenje zagađenja vazduha iz ovih termoelektrana na ugalj može da sačuva 6 460 života svake godine, kao i da uštedi troškove u zdravstvu do 2 724 miliona evra.
Kako bi se postigli neophodan napredak i velike uštede u zdravstvu, HEAL preporučuje vladama Zapadnog Balkana da započnu izradu mjera za kontrolu zagađenja u 2018. godini. One treba da nastoje da postignu ambiciozan put za smanjenje emisija, iznad onog što se traži prema novim propisima. One zatim treba da usvoje nacionalni plan za smanjenje emisija u svoje nacionalno zakonodavstvo, ako to još nije učinjeno. Konačno i najdugoročnije, ubrzano oslobađanje od uglja treba unaprediti zatvaranjem svih starih postrojenja za ugalj i ne graditi nove, i okončati svako javno finansiranje postrojenja za ugalj.
“Postoji potreba za povišenom svješću o urgentnosti“, izjavila je Dragana Mileusnić, koordinatorica za energetsku politiku Jugoistočne Evrope u Mreži za klimatske akcije (CAN) Evrope, “Kašnjenja u dovođenju emisije uglja na Balkanu pod kontrolu čine više od ugrožavanja javnog zdravlja širom kontinenta – ona mogu da blokiraju klimatske ambicije u regionu i naprave domino efekat na odlaganje neizbežne tranzicije koja prevazilazi ugalj i na puteve azvoja koje pokreće obnovljiva energija.”
“Snježna kugla dokaza o zagađenju vazduha i zdravstvenim efektima uslijed sagorjevanja uglja i rudarstva nastavlja da raste, a lokalne zajednice su više odlučnije nego ikada da se bore za svoje pravo na zdrav život i životnu sredinu. Krajnje je vrijeme da efektivna kotrola zagađenosti vazduha postoji na Balkanu i da planovi za igradnju novih termoelektrana nisu na dnevnom redu više’’, izjavila je Ioana Ciuta, koordinatorica za energiju pri CEE Bankwatch mreži.
Više informacija možete potražiti u rezimeu Alijanse za zdravlje i životnu sredinu.
Napomena uredniku:
(1) Prema Direktivi o velikim postrojenjima za sagorjevanje (2001/80/EZ) i Direktivi o industrijskim emisijama 2010/75/EU – koje treba da se sprovedu najkasnije do 2028.
Kontakt:
Vlatka Matkovic Puljic, Health and Energy Officer Balkans region, vlatka@env-health.org, Tel +32 2 234 36 46
Related Posts
