© Envato
Luxembourgers, just like Europeans, are concerned about the effects of air pollution on their health and the environment. They are demanding stronger measures.
54% of Luxembourgers believe the country’s air quality has deteriorated over the past ten years. While down from 59% in 2019, the percentage remains higher than the European average of 47%, according to the latest Eurobarometer survey on the issue.
Only 6% of respondents think the situation has improved, with 36% saying nothing has changed.
© Commission Européenne
A large majority of residents (66%) believe EU air quality standards must be tightened, with industry, governments and employers at the forefront of that change.
The survey further concludes that 74% of Luxembourgers believe that large industrial installations do not do enough to promote good air quality. 65% of residents think the same about fossil fuel energy producers.
In contrast to the rest of the Union, only 48% of respondents say the public authorities are insufficiently tackling poor air quality, whereas that figure lies at 60% for the EU. The majority (56%) think households are putting in enough effort.
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89% of Luxembourgers believe that health problems such as respiratory diseases, asthma (87%) and cardiovascular diseases (77%) are serious issues caused by air pollution in Luxembourg.
79% of respondents in the Grand Duchy are worried about environmental problems caused by poor air quality. Acidification (making water more acidic) and eutrophication of water (excess nutrients in the water leading to algae blooms that smother other organisms) are among the main consequences of degradation of water quality.
83% of Luxembourgers believe that there should be a solution at the international level to fixing air pollution (compared to 65% of Europeans). In May 2021, the European Commission adopted an EU action plan titled “Towards zero pollution in air, water and soil.
For its part, Luxembourg adopted the National Air Quality Plan in June 2021, with a big focus on electric transportation.
26,509 people across all demographics and EU countries were asked between 21 March and 20 April 2022. 509 people in Luxembourg, representative of the population, responded to the questionnaire.
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