The air quality in Brussels has improved considerably in 2023: for the first time, average nitrogen dioxide emissions for Belgium fall below the new directive that the European Union wants to introduce by 2030, figures from the Interregional Cell for the Environment (Ircel) show.
Emissions were measured in the four largest Belgian cities: Antwerp, Ghent, Brussels and Charleroi – air quality has improved in all four. In this way, Belgium is on track to achieving the recommended value of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
As nitrogen dioxide is typically traffic-related, emissions reached a low point with the Covid-19 crisis in 2020 but subsequently rose briefly. In 2023, the country achieved a lower quantity for the first time in the four urban measuring locations: approximately 50% less than 15 years ago.
According to Ircel, there are a few explanations for this. The stricter emission standards and Low Emission Zones (LEZ) are making their contribution, and the vehicle fleet is slowly moving away from diesel engines. The latest generation of diesel engines also emit less nitrogen dioxide.
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Specifically for 2023, the wet weather had a positive influence as air pollution is diluted during rain and wind.
The existing European standards for particulate matter have also been respected for some time. This year, Belgium reached the limit that the EU is setting from 2030. Never have the particulate matter concentrations in the four urban measuring points been as low as in 2023.
Similar results emerged at other, more rural locations. While particulate matter emissions are indeed declining in the long term, the explanation for 2023 in particular can also be found in favourable weather conditions, Ircel underlined.
