Abstract

The Dutch government intends to improve air quality because cleaner air contributes to public health. To this end, it concluded the Clean Air Agreement (Schone Lucht Akkoord, 'SLA') in 2020, which now includes more than 130 municipalities and all the provinces. The parties have agreed that, by 2030, air pollution originating from Dutch sources will cause at least 50 percent fewer adverse health effects compared to 2016. This means that, among other things, average life expectancy per person will be approximately four months longer by 2030.

Each SLA partner is drawing up an implementation plan outlining how it will fulfil the commitments, actions, and measures set out in the SLA. SLA partners that have already submitted an implementation plan will update it annually. This may be necessary, for example, when new insights become available.

The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) will assess the health impacts of the SLA plans every two years. According to the third progress assessment, the results are slightly more favourable than in the previous assessment. If all plans are implemented as set out in both the adopted and intended policies, air pollution from Dutch sources will cause 55 percent fewer health effects in 2030 compared to 2016. In the previous progress assessment, this reduction was estimated at 46 percent.

The improvement is due in part to the expectation that, by 2030, there will be more electric vehicles, resulting in lower emissions of nitrogen dioxide from road traffic. At the same time, new scientific research shows that nitrogen dioxide is more harmful to human health than previously assumed. It therefore remains important to continue implementing measures to improve air quality.

From 2030 onwards, stricter European standards for particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide will apply in the Netherlands. These standards have not yet been met everywhere in the country. This applies for instance to the area of the Port of Rotterdam, the area around Schiphol and Amsterdam, the IJmond region, along various roads, and at a number of locations with a relatively high livestock density. In addition, in 2021, the WHO further tightened its guideline values based on new insights into the health impacts of particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide. The SLA partners' aim is for air quality to meet the WHO's 2021 guideline values in the longer term. Additional measures will be required to achieve both the European standards and the WHO guideline values.

This is confirmed by the RIVM's third progress assessment. For this assessment, the RIVM calculated the health impacts using information provided by consultancy firm TAUW and the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL).