Cost-effectiveness of additional abatement options for cleaner air

Possibilities for a cost-effective policy on air pollution at national level

Air quality in the Netherlands with respect to particulate matter (PM₁₀) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) can be improved up to 2015 through an number of extra national (and local) measures. Such measures can be implemented relatively quickly, contrary to implementation under a further reaching European policy including source measures and emission ceilings, which will only be fully effective over a longer period of time. National measures are road pricing, technical measures in the storage and handling of bulk goods, soot filters and deNO_x technology for inland shipping, advanced dust abatement techniques in industry and placement of air scrubbers in the larger pig and poultry housing systems. In view of the improvement in exposure of the population to PM₁₀, these national measures are more cost-effective than introducing more stringent European emission standards (Euro6/VI) for road vehicles.

From 2015 onwards, the European emission reduction policies will be important for further improvement of air quality in the Netherlands. However, the health benefits of European source measures for sparsely populated countries, or countries bordering on Europe, are considerably lower than in the Netherlands. For this reason it remains to be seen if a political majority supporting (additional) European source measures emerges.