Air quality in urban areas

Dátum poslednej aktualizácie:22.12.2022

Téma

Indikátory zeleného rastu

Značky

Definícia indikátora

Exposition of humans to air pollution has been particularly high in urban areas that concentrate the majority of economic activities.  Industrial processes, production of energy and transport are the main contributors of pollutants into the air in regions and local areas.

Jednotka indikátora

ug/m3

Metadáta

Methodology:

Selection and methodology of indicator’s assessment is based on the set of indicators proposed by the OECD and addressed by the report: "Green Growth: Monitoring progress towards green growth“. Data relating to the national situation are usually presented in the period between 2000 and 2012. Basic time sequence is changed in those cases when the data are not accessible or when their comparison is not possible due to differing approaches in their collection, assessment, changes in methodology, classification, etc.  Summary assessment of indicator’s trend from the green growth perspective is based on a subjective evaluation of the responsible assessor due to the fact that the strategy is not officially implemented in the Slovak Republic and therefore specific objectives have not been defined.  Naturally, this assessment builds on the analysis of the past trends, as well as their anticipated direction in view of the measures adopted as to date.
Selected indicators characterize Slovakia's initial position as seen from the perspective of the green growth and were to be used as a measuring tool before further steps are taken in the process of implementation of this strategy and for a complex assessment of the future trend of the Slovak economy.  Present set of green growth indicators comprises 32 individual indicators that are relevant in Slovakia's conditions. Four of them are national indicators that describe voluntary instruments of the environmental strategy.

 

Data sources:

Data used in this document come from the official national or international sources and databases.  Assessed trend was reviewed and discussed with the state administration specialists (individual departments of the ministries of Environment, Economy, Labour and Social Affairs and Family, Finance, Agriculture and Rural Development) and their professional organisations (Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute, State Geological Institute of Dionýz Štúr, Slovak Environmnet Agency, State Nature Consservancy, Institute for Financial Policy) and also the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic whose databases furnish most of the information.

 

Related indicators:

 

 

Linked references:

 

Kľúčové zistenia

This indicator of exposition of urban population to air pollution focuses on sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide.

SO2
Exceeding the SO2 limit public health protection values more than 3 times in Slovakia in 2002 was recorded in Trenčín area at all three monitoring stations (Prievidza, Handlová, Bystričany), and in 2004 at one station (Bystričany). In the years 2003, 2005 - 2015, there were no exceeded limit values recorded at any station. It may be concluded that over the monitored period, total air quality for this pollutant has been relatively good. Air quality in terms of public health protection in Slovakia has improved significantly thanks to adopted strategic measures and their impacts. Over the last two decades, continuous and significant improvement has been recorded.
In 2021, there was no case of exceeding the alert threshold. At the same time, there were no cases of exceeding the alert threshold at monitoring stations in the Slovak Republic this year. The critical value for vegetation protection was not exceeded (during 2021) at any of the EMEP stations

NO2
Between 2008 - 2012, annual limit value was exceeded at Banská Bystrica - Štefánikovo nábrežie monitoring station. Average annual concentration at the station in Banská Bystrica over the recent years significantly exceeded the limit value of 40 µg.m-3, which was due to construction and land activities at building a road bypass of Banská Bystrica. Exceeded value for public health protection for hour concentrations has not been recorded at any monitoring station in significant numbers.
In 2021, no monitoring station showed exceeded annual limit value. Exceedence of the limit value for the protection of human health for hourly concentrations did not occur at any monitoring station. There was no case of exceeding the alert threshold in 2021. The critical level for the protection of vegetation (30 μg.m-3 per calendar year, expressed as NOx) was not exceeded in any of EMEP stations in 2021. The values were deep below the lower air protection threshold to protect vegetation.

Sumárne zhodnotenie





Medzinárodné porovnanie

The OECD Green Growth database contains selected indicators for monitoring progress towards green growth to support policy making and inform the public at large. The database provides a synthesis of data and indicators available across a wide range of domains. The sources of the underlying data used to populate the Green Growth Indicators, as presented here, include a range of OECD databases and, in some cases, external data sources. The database covers OECD member countries, accession countries and selected non-OECD countries (including the BRIICS economies - Brazil, Russian Federation, India, Indonesia, China and South Africa).


OECD Green Growth Indicators Database

Kontakt na spracovateľa

Ing. Dorota Hericová, SAŽP, dorota.hericova@sazp.sk