What are we breathing in Europe? Experts are paying attention to the situation in Poland.

The report also noted a number of differences over the past few years. Last autumn, PM10 levels were higher in southern Poland and the Po Valley than in the previous autumn. Although 2024 was wetter than average in both areas compared to the 2007-2023 period, last autumn was drier than autumn 2023. Wetter spring conditions may also partially account for the lower PM10 levels in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg than in 2023, as rainfall is a potential sink for removing particulate matter from the air.

Poland is one of the countries where the decline in PM10 concentrations in recent years has been particularly noticeable compared to most of the 2013–2019 period. As Dr. Joanna Strużewska, Head of the Atmosphere and Climate Modeling Department at the Institute of Environmental Protection-National Research Institute (IOŚ-PIB), which is implementing the CAMS NCP project, emphasizes, this positive trend is evidence of the effectiveness of a number of implemented measures.

Air quality in Poland. A positive trend on the Vistula River.

"In Poland, we are also observing a positive trend in reducing particulate matter and nitrogen oxide emissions. CAMS data confirms that measures to improve air quality—such as modernizing heating systems, developing low-emission transport, and controlling industrial emissions—are producing results. Nevertheless, we still need decisive action, especially at the local level, to meet the requirements of the new air quality directive," he says.

It's also worth remembering that the reduction in emissions from building heating was undoubtedly influenced by the very low number of heating degree days in 2024. According to a joint report by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), last winter saw the largest area of Europe on record with frosty days lasting less than three months – approximately 69%, compared to the average of 50%. A record low number of days with at least "severe cold stress" was also recorded, and massive amounts of ice were lost across all European regions. Glaciers in Scandinavia and Svalbard recorded the highest rate of ice mass loss on record. According to data from the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), the European winter from December 2023 to February 2024 was the second warmest on record. The temperature was 1.44°C higher than the 1991–2020 average and 1.4°C lower than in the 2019/20 season, which was the warmest winter on record in Europe.

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The report also identifies a number of sources and events that influenced air pollution levels last year. These include cross-border and local situations, such as local household combustion, in countries such as Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic.

Saharan dust, fires and volcanoes: what affects Europe's air quality?

Last year was full of events that affected European air quality. From March to May, the southern and central parts of the continent were plagued by an influx of Saharan dust, which contributed to an increase in PM10 concentrations in the Mediterranean region and Central Europe. Summer forest fires in Canada and South America generated massive emissions that reached as far as Europe, affecting PM2.5 levels at ground level in southwestern and Central Europe. Higher sulfur dioxide concentrations in some regions were partially due to increased volcanic activity on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula. Emissions on the continent were also generated by exceptionally intense wildfires, particularly in Portugal, whose smoke spread to Spain and southern France.