MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th December, 2022) Over 10% of premature deaths in countries of the European Union are connected with environmental pollution, though significant differences are seen among EU states, the European Commission said on Thursday.
"Current pollution levels are still far too high: over 10% of premature deaths in the EU each year are still related to environmental pollution," the statement read.
The reasons for this are increasing levels of air and noise pollution and exposure to chemicals, though the situation differs depending on a country or part of the EU, the commission said.
"The pollution similarly damages biodiversity. There are significant differences between Member States, with premature deaths levels around 5-6% in the North and 12-14% in the South and East of Europe," the commission said.
Earlier in the day, the commission presented its first Zero Pollution Monitoring and Outlook Report analyzing current levels of pollution across the EU and providing recommendations to the bloc regarding further steps to curb pollution and mitigate its negative impact on people's health.
The report noted that although levels of air pollution and pollution from pesticides had decreased, there was still much work to be done in terms of reducing harmful noise, nutrient pollution or municipal waste generation so as to achieve ambitious pollution goals the EU set for 2030.
